Q&A Hero

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."[G]ram for gram, trans fat [found in hydrogenated oil] is nearly as bad for your blood-cholesterol levels as saturated fat is.... Brandeis University scientists... concluded that trans fats may be worse than saturated fats...."Consumer Reports On Health

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."NASA [the National Aeronautics and Space Administration] says private investors, not taxpayers, will fund its newest manned space vehicle. If you believe that, you probably think little green men inhabit Mars."Forbes

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."The great preponderance of lottery players are from the lowest third of the population in terms of income levels. It is mainly the poor who are being exploited by state lotteries."A sociology professor at a state university in the Midwest, in a radio interview

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Lottery director Mark Michalko said Thursday that allegations that Californians are squandering money they once used for food to buy lottery tickets are just not correct.... California Grocers Association president Don Beaver raised the issue earlier in the week, saying five supermarket chains had complained that grocery sales dropped about 5 percent after lottery tickets went on sale October 3."Sacramento Bee

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."[Bybon, a Greek of the sixth century B.C.] threw a 315-pound block of red sandstone over his head. The feat was reported after archaeologists found a description of Bybons act inscribed on the rock itself."The Book of Lists

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Of all species, only pigs and humans like liquor."Charles Halsted, Professor of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Huddie Ledbetter ("Leadbelly") was not only a writer and performer of songs but also an unusually powerful man. Alan Lomax, the historian of American folk music, wrote that "in the Texas Penitentiary he was the number one man in the number one gang on the number one farm in the statethe man who could carry the lead row in the field for 12 or 14 hours a day under the broiling July and August sun." He could pick a bale of cotton in a daythats 500 pounds!Adapted from liner notes to the record Leadbelly (Everest recording FS-202)

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Apples history is more like a soap opera than a corporate biography."Macworld magazine, March 1997

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.According to a Baron Gottfried von Swieten, King Frederick of Prussia claimed that he had once given a chromatic theme to Johann Sebastian Bach, who had immediately made of it a fugue in four parts, then in five parts, and finally in eight parts.From H. T. David and A. Mendel, The Bach Reader, reported in Gdel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas R. Hofstadter

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."The past year was a turbulent one. It was a year that began with record profits and sales. It was also a year in which we reported the first quarterly loss in Apples history. We had to take swift action. We did. And its working."Apple Computer Inc., 1985 Annual Report

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."The American word yup means sex in Russia."Comedian Yakov Smirnoff (who was born and lived in Russia for sixteen years before emigrating to America in 1977). Smirnoff uses the claim in question as a basis for "yuppie" jokes.

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."My cat has fewer brains than a hubcap!"Spoken by one of the authors of the text after his cat had spent three days on his housetop

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."The yearly cancer rate for men in Glasgow, Scotland, is 130 cases per 100,000.""Atlas of Cancer in Scotland," World Health Organization (an agency of the United Nations)

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."The West German Cabinet has conditionally agreed to let private companies enroll in the research [on the Strategic Defense Initiative]."From an editorial in the Los Angeles Times

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."In the history books, the personal-computer slump of 1985 will be a footnote compared to the Japanese assault on the American semiconductor industry."Newsweek

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.From a letter to the editor by a person weve never heard of: "Eighty-five percent of the jail population smokes."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Do you feel insecure? Or are you confident about your position in life? According to Dr. Ian Cameron, how and where you stand in an elevator will reveal the answers to these questions."Reported in the National Examiner. Dr. Cameron is described in the article as "a noted scientist and researcher."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."[Atmospheric nuclear] tests do not seriously endanger either present or future generations."Edward Teller, physicist, one of the "fathers" of the atomic bomb, 1958

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Youve taken your car in to the local branch of a nationwide chain of brake and muffler shops for an advertised "free brake inspection." After the inspection, the service manager tells you: "Im afraid your linings are almost completely gone and the drums need turning. You need a complete brake overhaul."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Every day 5,000 Americans try cocaine for the first timea total of 22 million so faraccording to estimates by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. About five million people are believed to be using the drug at least once a month, and they are administering it to themselves in increasingly destructive ways."James Lieber, in the Atlantic

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Warning: St. John [in the Virgin Islands] is very much a cash only island. Most restaurants and car rental agencies accept cash or travelers checks only."Janet Fullwood, travel writer for the Dallas Times Herald

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Reported after a debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who were running for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2008: "James Carville, a Clinton advisor and supporter, declared his candidate the winner in the debate, saying shed made her case more strongly."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Remark heard in a coffee shop: "There is a disproportionate percentage of left-handed people in politics."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Q: Did Marilyn Monroe keep a diary about her relationships with John and Robert Kennedy?

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Comment from an acquaintance: "I saw Bigfoot with my own eyes! It was huge!"

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."General Motors is on a journey to the future. With the help of its thousands of scientists, designers, and engineers, GM is embarking on an odyssey into the unknown. Roads paved with scientific and technological wonders that might seem like science fictions. But at GM, theyre reality...."From a General Motors magazine advertisement

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.Letter to the editor: "Your editorial page of October 15 contained a cartoon that was highly offensive...."Midfield Sentinel

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.According to Funk & Wagnalls Hammond World Atlas, the three longest rivers in the world are the Nile, the Amazon, and the Yangtze.

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."A few years ago AT&T did two surveys showing that technically trained persons did not achieve as many top managerial jobs in the company as liberal arts graduates did."New York Times

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Driven by the Gramm-Rudman mandate to cut $46 billion from the budget..., OMB director James Miller is proposing to sell off whole programs and agencies from the federal establishment. Millers hit list is mostly secret for the time being, but administration sources say it includes some large, costly and much-venerated legacies of the Democratic past. One example: the Bonneville Power Administration, which provides low-cost electricity to the Pacific Northwest from a far-flung system of hydroelectric dams and substations, including the Grand Coulee Dam."Newsweek (during the Reagan administration in the late 1980s)

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."With due regard to the recent experience by certain individuals in the Russian city of Voronezh, the Space Brothers who landed and exited from their craft were on a peace mission.... What was thought to be and reported mistakenly as a knife held in the hand of one of the Space Brothers was a thought, only in the mind of the reporter.... What was being held was a communication device.... This device was translating the thoughts of the Space voyager into the language that could be understood in that particular part of the world."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.University student to professor: "Im sorry I missed the test on Thursday, Dr. Aarsack. My grandmother unexpectedly died, and I had to go home."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Smoking more than triples the likelihood of premature facial wrinkling."Dr. Donald Kadunce, lead author of a group of University of Utah scientists, reporting in Annals of Internal Medicine

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."In the near future look for floods in Britain which will culminate in the flooding of Parliament."A prediction made by Maitreya Swami, "The World Teacher," in the News Release of the Tara Center, N. Hollywood, Calif.

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Enough is enough! A national survey finds a majority of American adults do not support more restrictive or tougher anti-smoking measures."

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."By age 30, roughly a quarter of men and women have discernibly graying hair. Even so, only 28 percent of us ever become completely white haired."Lowell Ponte, Readers Digest

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stades two little girls always tried to keep her from singing in church because, they said, every time she did, everyone would turn around and stare at her."Joseph McLellan, in the Washington Post

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.NO CHOLESTEROL!Label on Crisco Corn Oil

Q: Assess the following as probably true, as probably false, as requiring further documentation before judgment, or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated. Consider both the nature of the claim and the source."In the early 1800s, bears were a nuisance to settlers in upstate New York."Smithsonian

Q: Classify the following: "To philosophers, a realist is a person who believes in the existence of a world outside the mind." A. definition by example B. definition by synonym C. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is too vague in the context that is stated or implied: "Well, lets see. To get to the Woodward Mall, go down this street a couple of blocks, and turn right. Go through several stoplights, turn left, and go just a short way. You cant miss it."

Q: Classify the following: "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose."Kris KristoffersonA. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is too vague in the context that is stated or implied: My aunt lost most of her possessions when her house burned down last month.

Q: Classify the following: "As any crossword puzzler knows, sere means arid, which means dry."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is too vague in the context that is stated or implied: Said at a party: "What did I think of the concert? I thought it was pretty good. You should have been there."

Q: Classify the following: "When Dr. Leakey said Lucys walk was bipedal, he meant her walk was upright."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is too vague in the context that is stated or implied: During his first news conference of the year, the president said today that his administration was going to crack down even harder on international terrorism.

Q: Classify the following: "Dr. Monfort thinks new-age is another word for mindless."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Did he tell you what he said in his email? Syntactically ambiguous (ambiguous pronoun reference); are we talking about three different men, one, two?

Q: Classify the following: "Aqua, the color, is blue-green."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: From an accident report: The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.

Q: Classify the following: "Consumption is an old word for tuberculosis."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: From an accident report: In my attempts to kill a fly I drove into a telephone pole.

Q: Classify the following: "Bogey is the same as one over par."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Headline: Pesticide Concerns Blossom

Q: Classify the following: "Being an octogenarian is being in ones eighties."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Headline: Retired priest may marry Springsteen.

Q: Classify the following: "A juice harp is a harmonica."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Headline: Park ends spraying Dutch for elm disease.

Q: Classify the following: "Loquacious means talkative."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Laughter was heard at Grace Cathedral last week when it was announced that next week would be the blessing of the animals followed by a barbeque.

Q: Classify the following: "To fledge an arrow is to fletch or feather it."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: "I want Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States in the worst way."

Q: Classify the following: "You can use recreant nearly anywhere you can use cowardly, but nobody does anymore."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: "A lot of people are living to 100 who never used to."Herb Caen, San Francisco Chronicle

Q: Classify the following: "It was a dark and stormy night is what I mean by clich."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: "My husband got his project cut off two weeks ago, and I havent had any relief since then."From a letter requesting public assistance, as quoted in Ann Landers, Chicago Tribune

Q: Classify the following: "I may not be able to explain what pornography is, but the magazines on that rack are cases in point."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: "Police said Sunday that a Lebanese woman arrested in Milan planned to deliver photographs of American hostages to an Italian man who has been linked to arms scandals.... The man... was questioned by police after they found the photos and a letter from a hostage hidden in a false bottom of the womans suitcase Thursday."From an Associated Press dispatch, Sacramento Bee

Q: Classify the following: "Four spades and a heart make a four-flush."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: There is a job for everyone.

Q: Classify the following: "Tenor applies to vocal ranges like Pavarottis."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: After finishing his term paper, he went out for a beer and left it in his instructors mailbox.

Q: Classify the following: "The inscription over the door of the administration building is a sample of a gothic script called Fraktur."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Eighteen people have slept in the new hotels most expensive suite.

Q: Classify the following: "The simple tools are the pulley, lever, inclined plane, wheel and axle, screw, and wedge."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Sign in a hotel: NO SMOKING ROOMS AVAILABLE.

Q: Classify the following: "What Lani just did from the high board is called a full gainer."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition

Q: Determine whether the following claim is best classified as semantically ambiguous (and whether this contains grouping ambiguities), syntactically ambiguous, or free from ambiguity: Susan got in trouble for messing up the house with her younger sister.

Q: Classify the following: "My idea of a beautiful woman? That would be Robin Flores."A. definition by exampleB. definition by synonymC. analytical definition