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You've now learned all the key critical thinking skills tested in the FSCE 11+ exam:
In this lesson, you'll put all of these skills into practice with eight exam-style challenges. Each challenge tests multiple skills and comes with a full model answer and commentary explaining how to approach it. Treat these challenges like real exam questions — read carefully, think before answering, and give the best answer you can.
graph LR
A["Challenge"] --> B["Read carefully"]
B --> C["Identify which skills are needed"]
C --> D["Plan your answer"]
D --> E["Write your response"]
E --> F["Check your answer"]
style A fill:#fce4ec
style F fill:#e8f5e9
Read this passage and answer the questions below:
"Mobile phones should be completely banned for all children under 14. A recent survey by ParentWatch found that 78% of parents are worried about their children's phone use. Dr Sarah Mitchell, a child psychologist, says that excessive screen time 'damages children's ability to concentrate and communicate face-to-face.' In South Korea, a law restricting phone use for under-16s has led to a 20% improvement in students' test scores. Clearly, the evidence proves that phones are destroying our children's futures."
Questions: a) What is the main claim of this passage? b) Identify two pieces of evidence used to support the claim. c) Identify one assumption the writer makes. d) Is the final sentence ("Clearly, the evidence proves...") justified? Explain your reasoning.
a) The main claim is that "mobile phones should be completely banned for all children under 14."
b) Two pieces of evidence:
c) The writer assumes that because excessive screen time is harmful, ALL phone use is harmful. Dr Mitchell refers to "excessive" screen time, but the writer's conclusion is a "complete ban" — moderate, controlled phone use might be perfectly fine. The writer also assumes that what works in South Korea would work in other countries.
d) The final sentence is not fully justified. The word "clearly" and "proves" are too strong. The evidence shows that EXCESSIVE phone use may be harmful, but it doesn't prove that phones are "destroying children's futures." The survey only shows parents are worried — not that their worries are correct. The South Korea example is interesting but doesn't "prove" a ban would work everywhere. Also, "ParentWatch" may be a biased source if it's an organisation that campaigns against phone use. A more justified statement would be: "The evidence suggests that excessive phone use may be harmful and that regulation could help."
Commentary: This question tests identifying arguments (Lesson 4), spotting assumptions (Lesson 5), and evaluating evidence (Lesson 6).
Read the following information and answer the questions:
Five children — Amy, Ben, Cara, Dan, and Eva — each play a different instrument: piano, violin, flute, drums, and guitar.
Questions: a) Which instrument does each child play? b) Explain the steps of your reasoning.
a)
Final answer:
b) Reasoning steps: I started with the direct statements (Cara plays drums, Eva plays piano, Ben plays guitar). Then I used elimination — Dan can't play string instruments and the other instruments are taken, so he plays flute. That leaves violin for Amy by elimination.
Commentary: This question tests logical deduction (Lesson 2). Notice how I worked through the direct statements first, then used elimination to fill in the gaps.
Read this passage:
"The stunning new Riverside Shopping Centre opened last Saturday and it is already the best shopping destination in the region. The centre boasts 120 shops, 15 restaurants, and a state-of-the-art cinema with 8 screens. Shoppers have been flocking to this magnificent complex in their thousands. 'It's absolutely wonderful — much better than the old town centre,' said local resident Margaret Thompson, 62. Obviously, the old high street shops simply cannot compete with such a superior facility."
Questions: a) List three facts from this passage. b) List three opinions from this passage. c) Identify two examples of biased language and explain why they show bias.
a) Three facts:
b) Three opinions:
c) Two examples of biased language:
Commentary: This question tests spotting facts and opinions (Lesson 3) and spotting bias (Lesson 5).
Study this data table and answer the questions:
Table: How Year 6 students travel to school
| Method | School A (%) | School B (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Walk | 45 | 20 |
| Car | 30 | 55 |
| Bus | 15 | 15 |
| Cycle | 10 | 5 |
| Other | 0 | 5 |
Questions: a) State two conclusions that the data supports. b) State two conclusions that the data does NOT support (but someone might incorrectly claim). c) Suggest one reason why the data for the two schools might be so different.
a) Two supported conclusions:
b) Two unsupported conclusions:
c) One possible reason for the difference: School A might be in an urban area where most students live within walking distance, while School B might be in a suburban or rural area where students live further away and need to travel by car. Another possibility is that the roads around School B might be more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, making parents more likely to drive.
Commentary: This question tests drawing conclusions from data (Lesson 7) and spotting assumptions (Lesson 5). The key skill is separating what the data SHOWS from what someone might ASSUME.
Problem: A school library has exactly 90 books. They are divided into three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. There are twice as many fiction books as non-fiction books. There are 10 more poetry books than non-fiction books. How many books are in each category?
Using "Find What You Know" and "Break It Down" strategies:
Let the number of non-fiction books = N.
Solving:
So:
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