Critical thinking questions: the five types and how to answer them
Critical thinking questions are the part of Thinking Skills that parents find hardest to explain. There is no sum to check. Your child reads a short argument and has to judge it. The good news: almost every question is one of five types, and each type has a simple method.
What a critical thinking question looks like
Each question has three parts: a short text (often someone's opinion in quotation marks), a question line, and four options. The question line tells you the type. Teach your child to read the question line first, then the text, so they know what they are hunting for.
| Question line says | Type | What your child looks for |
|---|---|---|
| "Which assumption has ... made?" | Assumption | The missing step the speaker takes for granted |
| "Which statement best supports ...?" | Strengthen | A new fact that makes the reason lead to the conclusion |
| "Which statement most weakens ...?" | Weaken | Another explanation, or a fact that breaks the link |
| "Which statement shows the mistake ...?" | Flaw | The wrong move in the thinking |
| "Which statement must be true?" | Draw a conclusion | Only what the facts prove, nothing extra |
The one idea behind all five
Every argument has a reason and a conclusion. The conclusion is what the speaker wants you to believe; the reason is why. Words like "because", "so" and "that is why" show where they are. Before looking at the options, ask your child: "What is she trying to prove? Why does she think so?" Once they can say both parts in their own words, the five types become much easier.
Five example questions
These are written by us for practice and are not from any real test or from our free checks. Let your child try each one before opening the answer.
1. Find the assumption
An assumption is the step the speaker skips. Method: put the reason and the conclusion side by side and ask "what has to be true to get from one to the other?"
Mr Okafor says: "Priya will get the solo in the school concert, because she sang the loudest at assembly."
Which assumption has Mr Okafor made?
- Singing the loudest is enough to be given the solo.
- Priya enjoys singing in front of other people.
- The school concert will be held in the evening.
- Priya has sung a solo at a concert before.
Show the answer
2. Strengthen an argument
The right answer makes the reason connect better to the conclusion. Wrong answers are often true and pleasant, but about something else.
Lena says: "Our class should plant strawberries along the north fence, because strawberries grow best with lots of sun."
Which statement, if true, best supports Lena's argument?
- The north fence gets direct sun for most of the day.
- Strawberries are the favourite fruit of many students.
- Some students would rather plant flowers than fruit.
- Strawberry plants are cheap at the local nursery.
Show the answer
3. Spot the mistake in reasoning
The most common mistakes in children's tests: thinking that two things happening together means one causes the other, judging everyone from one example, and reading a rule backwards.
Toby says: "Every time I wear my red cap, our netball team wins. So my red cap is what makes us win."
Which statement best explains the mistake in Toby's reasoning?
- Two things happening together does not prove that one causes the other.
- Toby does not say what colour the other team wears.
- Toby should also wear his red cap to training.
- Netball is played by more than one person on each team.
Show the answer
4. Must be true
This is the strictest type. An option is only right if the facts prove it. "Probably", "usually" and "sounds sensible" are not enough. Drawing two circles, one inside the other, helps a lot.
At the Riverside Fair, every stall that sells lemonade also sells popcorn. No stall that sells popcorn stays open after 6 pm.
Which statement must be true?
- No stall that sells lemonade stays open after 6 pm.
- Every stall that sells popcorn also sells lemonade.
- Some stalls sell lemonade but not popcorn.
- Every stall at the fair closes before 6 pm.
Show the answer
5. Weaken an argument
The strongest way to weaken a cause-and-effect claim is to show another cause that could explain the same result.
A café owner says: "In March we put fresh flowers on every table, and our sales went up that month. The flowers made more people buy food."
Which statement, if true, most weakens the owner's claim?
- A big tennis tournament was held next door all through March and brought extra crowds.
- The flowers were bought from a farm just outside town.
- Several customers said the flowers smelled lovely.
- The café has been open for six years.
Show the answer
Four traps to warn your child about
- True but not relevant. An option can be a true fact and still not help or hurt the argument.
- Too strong. Options with "all", "always" or "never" are right only when the text is just as strong.
- Answering from real life. In "must be true" questions, use only the facts given, even if your child knows something different about the real world.
- Mixing up strengthen and weaken. Re-read the question line just before choosing. It takes three seconds and saves many marks.
How to practise at home in ten minutes
- Argument of the day. At dinner, say one opinion ("We should have pizza every Friday because it is quick"). Your child names the reason and the conclusion.
- Find another cause. When someone says "X happened because of Y", ask "what else could explain X?" Kids get good at this fast and enjoy it.
- Explain, do not just mark. After each practice question, your child says why each wrong option is wrong. This is where the real learning happens.
- One type per week. Do not mix all five at the start. Spend a week on assumptions, then a week on weaken, and so on.
Critical thinking is one of three skills in the Thinking Skills section. The other two are logic and problem solving: see our logic puzzles for Year 3 and 4 and the full Thinking Skills question types guide. Not sure whether your child is sitting OC or Selective? Read OC vs Selective: the differences.
Test all three skills for free
The free check gives a separate score for critical thinking, logic and problem solving, so you know which type to practise first. Worked answers in English, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.
Start the free OC Thinking Skills testYear 5 or 6? Try the free Selective Thinking Skills test
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