AY2019 Semester 1
G101 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Lesson 01: Claims, Claims, Claims
Worksheet
1. Questions to get you started
a. A claim is a statement asserting something to be true (but it could be false). Decide if
each of the following statements is a claim or not a claim.
No.
i
ii
iii
iv
Statements
Can you buy me a burger?
This burger is delicious.
This burger weighs 120g.
Thank you for the service!
Claim / Not a claim
b. How will you examine the claim below?
“A burger consists of a meat patty, cheese and lettuce.”
c. How would you examine the following claims? How are these claims similar or
different?
 “This burger weighs 120g.”
 “This burger is delicious.”
 “Eating a burger every day reduces risk of early death.”
 “We should eat a burger every day.”
2. Questions to deepen and apply your understanding
a. Can the claims in Q1b and Q1c be checked to know if they are true or false? If not,
what do we do?
b. Read the handout below and play the “Guess the Claim” game as a team (see
instructions).
Game
Instructions.docx
Five Types of Claims
Handout.docx
c. Try categorising the claims made about the Ben Davis issue into the five types of
claims.
3. Questions to stretch your thinking
a. How would you examine the claim “MINDEF should have accepted Ben Davis’s
application to defer NS enlistment”?
b. Why is it important to examine claims? What are the consequences of not examining
the claims carefully? Give one example.