Deck 12: Science and Pseudoscience

Question 1

Which of the following claims are testable?

A) The world was created 3 minutes ago in a way that makes it look like it was created billions of years ago.
B) Smoking causes cancer.
C) Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.
D) You were a koala in a previous life
E) All of the above.

Answer 1

Smoking causes cancer.

Question 2

Science is unlike the common sense thinking we do on a daily basis.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

If a belief is popular, comforting, or long accepted it can be rationally believed even if it does not fit with the observable facts or the clear evidence of our senses.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Scientists often formulate working hypotheses without prior assumptions because those assumptions can skew the results of experimentation.

Question 5

The conclusion of scientific arguments is not always guaranteed, but formally invalid deductive reasoning can sometimes provide persuasive evidence for scientific conclusions.

Question 6

Science cannot be helpful at all when addressing questions of meaning and value.

Question 7

Pseudoscientific theories often try to explain away falsifying data.

Question 8

A good scientific theory always makes claims that are testable.

Question 9

Findings inconsistent with well-established scientific theories should ordinarily be rejected.

Question 10

To be testable, a scientific claim must be expressed in clear, specific language.

Question 11

"Cold reading" is a method scientists use to test subjects for ESP.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT part of the basic pattern of scientific reasoning?

A) Identifying the problem.
B) Identifying relevant assumptions.
C) Gathering relevant data.
D) Formulating hypotheses to explain the data.

Question 13

Which pattern of reasoning do scientists commonly use to disconfirm, or falsify, scientific hypotheses?

A) Modus tollens
B) Modus ponens
C) Affirming the consequent
D) Denying the antecedent

Question 14

Which pattern of reasoning do scientists commonly use to confirm, or verify, scientific hypotheses?

A) Modus tollens
B) Modus ponens
C) Denying the antecedent
D) None of the above

Question 15

Which of the following is a scientific question?

A) Does my life have meaning?
B) Should partial-birth abortions be banned?
C) Does everything happen for a reason?
D) none of the above

Question 16

The statement "You like things to go your way" is an example of:

A) a pseudo-statement
B) a Barnum statement
C) a self-authenticating statement
D) a self-fulfilling statement

Question 17

Astrology began in ancient

A) Mesopotamia
B) China
C) Greece
D) Rome

Question 18

Which of the following are a vital part of randomized experimental studies?

A) Random selection.
B) A control group.
C) A placebo.
D) Making the study double blind.
E) All of the above.