Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum Common Sense test

Longview Community College, Lee's Summit, Missouri

Critical Thinking
Across the
Curriculum Project

Interactive "Common Sense" test

Contributed by Matthew Westra., Longview Community College.

To test your knowledge of things which people claim to know via "Common Sense", answer the following questions True or False:

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T F 1. To change the way people act, you must first change their attitudes.

T F 2. The greater the reward promised for a boring activity, the more one will come to enjoy the activity.

T F 3. Most people rate themselves as below average when comparing themselves to others on socially desirable characteristics (such as attractiveness).

T F 4. Most people will disobey a person in authority who orders them to hurt a stranger.

T F 5. In a debate, it is always to your advantage to be the last speaker instead of going first (you want the last word).

T F 6. People pull harder in a tug-of-war when they are part of a team than when they are pulling by themselves.

T F 7. Groups will generally make more moderate decisions than a single individual will.

T F 8. Opposites attract.

T F 9. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

T F 10. People are LESS likely to help another person when they are alone than when there is a group around.

T F 11. If you pick up a crying baby whenever it cries, this will increase the amount the baby will cry, so it can get picked up again.

T F 12. Children who grow up in a family with gay parents are more likely to become gay.

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(items 1 - 10 are from Whitford, F.W. (1992) Instructors' Resource Manual for Worchel & Shebilske's Psychology, 4th Edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall).

Copyright © 1996 Matthew Westra
Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum Project
Longview Community College , Lee's Summit, Missouri - U.S.A.
One of the Metropolitan Community Colleges
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Permission to reproduce these resource pages is granted for
non-profit educational use provided the above information
is retained on all copies.

Inquiries to: michael.connelly@mcckc.edu
Last modified: 03/02/04

T	F	1. To change the way people act, you must first change their attitudes.
T	F	2. The greater the reward promised for a boring activity, the more one will come to enjoy the activity.
T	F	3. Most people rate themselves as below average when comparing themselves to others on socially desirable characteristics (such as attractiveness).
T	F	4. Most people will disobey a person in authority who orders them to hurt a stranger.
T	F	5. In a debate, it is always to your advantage to be the last speaker instead of going first (you want the last word).
T	F	6. People pull harder in a tug-of-war when they are part of a team than when they are pulling by themselves.
T	F	7. Groups will generally make more moderate decisions than a single individual will.
T	F	8. Opposites attract.
T	F	9. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
T	F	10. People are LESS likely to help another person when they are alone than when there is a group around.
T	F	11. If you pick up a crying baby whenever it cries, this will increase the amount the baby will cry, so it can get picked up again.
T	F	12. Children who grow up in a family with gay parents are more likely to become gay.