Standards of Critical Thinking: Questions

 

Standards of Critical Thinking
Richard Paul, Linda Elder 

Clarity

Questions that focus on clarity include

• Could you elaborate on that point?

• Could you express that point in another way?

• Could you give me an illustration?

• Could you give me an example?

• Let me state in my own words what I think you just said. Am I clear

about your meaning?

Accuracy

Questions focusing on making thinking more accurate include:

• Is that really true?

• How could we check to see if that is accurate?

• How could we find out if that

Precision

Questions focusing on making thinking more precise include

• Could you give me more details?

• Could you be more specific?

Relevance

Questions focusing on relevance include

• How is this idea connected to the question?

• How does that bear on the issue?

• How does this idea relate to this other idea?

• How does your question relate to the issue we are dealing

Depth

Questions focusing on depth of thought include

• How does your answer address the complexities in the question?

• How are you taking into account the problems in the question?

• How are you dealing with the most significant factors

Breadth

Questions focusing on making thinking broader include

• Do we need to consider another point of view?

• Is there another way to look at this question?

• What would this look like from a conservative standpoint?

• What would this look like from the point of

Logicalness

Questions that focus on making thinking more logical include

• Does all of this fit together logically?

• Does this really make sense?

• Does that follow from what you said?

• How does that follow from the evidence?

• Before, you implied this, and now you are saying that. I don’t see how

both can be true.

Significance

Questions that focus on making thinking more significant include

• What is the most significant information we need to address this

issue?

• How is that fact important in context?

• Which of these questions is the most significant?

• Which of these ideas or concepts is the most important

What is the most important thing I could do in my life?

• What are the most important things I should try to accomplish this

week, this month, this year?

• How can I help my children become kind, caring, contributing members

of society?

• How can I best relate to my spouse so that she understands the deep

love I feel for her?

• How can I keep my mind focused on the things that matter most to

me (rather than the unimportant trivial details

Fairness

Questions that focus on ensuring that thinking is fair include

• Is my thinking justified given the evidence?

• Am I taking into account the weight of the evidence that others might

advance in the situation?

• Are these assumptions justified?

• Is my purpose fair given the implications of my behavior?

• Is the manner in which I am addressing the problem fair—or is my

vested interest keeping me from considering the problem from alternative

viewpoints?

• Am I using concepts justifiably, or am I using them unfairly in order

to manipulate someone (and selfishly get what I want)?

For example, we often make broad sweeping

generalizations such as

• Liberals are soft on crime.

• Elderly people aren’t interested in sex.

• Young men are only interested in sex.

• Jocks are cool.

• Blondes are dumb.

• Cheerleaders are airheads.

• Intellectuals are nerds.