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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is CSICOP?

2. Things are often misused if they are ______.

3. Paulos mentions which famous structure?

4. Which book in the Bible is quoted by Paulos?

5. The situation for mathematically uneducated high school students is:

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Paulos relate this theory to Freud and the prediction of the great doctor's death?

2. In what areas of one's life is estimation important?

3. What is one of the largest errors in integrating math into a student's life? What is a common result?

4. Who is used as Paulos' example of educated innumerates? What is the person known for in the scientific world?

5. What are the most obvious causes of innumeracy?

6. What is the author's opinion of the most common example of innumeracy?

7. What is most frequently taught in elementary school math classes?

8. How does Paulos explain the famous monkey/Shakespeare probability example?

9. Discuss the story of the student, the professor, and UFOs.

10. What other fallacies were contributed by Freud?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the common practice of teaching logic in elementary school? To what does Paulos compare the study of logic? Do you agree or disagree? How could logic be best employed in the classroom? How does it apply to every day life? How might one make the study of logic fun? How did you learn about logic?

Essay Topic 2

Name at least five major or famous examples of probabilities and coincidences such as the Lincoln/Kennedy connection and the Columbus/Fermi correlation. Explain each in a coincidental sense and a probability sense.

Essay Topic 3

Paulos tells a story of a man who is afraid of a bomb being aboard his airplane. Recount the story and the motive behind the man's actions. Does it make sense to you? According to Paulos' explanation, was it a logical or irrational move? What are the probabilities that the man was right? What are the odds that the bomb would go off in the man's briefcase? What might you have done in a similar situation?

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