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Quiz: Healthy Doubt and Open Minds

Test what you learned in this chapter. Read each question, pick the best answer, then click Show Answer to see if you got it right.

1. What is healthy doubt?

  1. Being grumpy about everything online
  2. The calm, friendly habit of saying "wait, let me check" before you fully believe something — even when it sounds great
  3. Refusing to read any news
  4. Trusting every headline you see
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Healthy doubt is calm and gentle. It is not cynicism or being suspicious of everything. It is the steady habit of saying, "I'm not sure yet — let's see." Healthy doubt is the foundation of every fact check and protects you from misinformation that feels good to believe.

Concept Tested: Healthy Doubt

2. What is confirmation bias?

  1. A setting that confirms your email address
  2. A way to lock an account with a password
  3. The habit our brains have of believing things we want to be true and doubting things we do not want to be true
  4. A kind of math problem
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Confirmation bias is the way our brains lean toward stories that match what we already believe and skip past stories that do not. It is one reason misinformation spreads so fast. The cure is to ask the four critical questions extra hard whenever a story makes you really want it to be true.

Concept Tested: Confirmation Bias

3. What is open-mindedness?

  1. Being willing to consider new information and change what you believe when the evidence asks you to
  2. Believing every single thing you read
  3. Leaving the front door of your house open
  4. Ignoring all new information
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Open-mindedness is not the same as believing everything. It is being a careful thinker who is also willing to change their mind when the evidence is strong. Open-minded people know that being right is more important than feeling right.

Concept Tested: Open Mindedness

4. What is the difference between cause and correlation?

  1. They mean the same thing
  2. Cause is when two things happen together, and correlation is when nothing happens
  3. Cause is when one thing actually makes another happen, while correlation is when two things just happen together
  4. Only adults can tell the difference
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Ice cream sales and shark attacks both go up in summer, but ice cream does not cause shark attacks — the real cause is the weather that draws people to the beach. Two things happening together is correlation. One thing actually making another happen is cause. Smart thinkers ask, "Could something else be causing both?"

Concept Tested: Cause Vs Correlation

5. Why is pausing before you share a post so important?

  1. Because the pause gives your thinking brain a few seconds to catch up with your feeling brain, especially when you have strong feelings
  2. Because pauses make your screen brighter
  3. Because every share costs money
  4. Because sharing is not allowed
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Feelings travel through the brain faster than thinking does. Even five seconds of pause before tapping share gives your thinking brain a chance to catch up. The stronger your feelings, the more important the pause — especially if you really want the story to be true.

Concept Tested: Pause Before Share

6. What is a stereotype?

  1. A kind of music player
  2. A quick mental picture that lumps a whole group of people together as if they were all the same
  3. A careful science study
  4. A type of search engine
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A stereotype is a kind of bias about people instead of about claims. It erases the real differences between individuals in a group. Smart digital citizens notice stereotypes in stories, jokes, and their own thinking, and refuse to spread them.

Concept Tested: Stereotype

7. Zara sees a headline she loves and really wants to be true. Her thumb is about to tap share. What should she do?

  1. Tap share right away
  2. Close the tablet forever
  3. Send the headline to every friend without checking
  4. Pause, check her feelings, ask the four critical questions, and look for confirming sources
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The bigger the smile on your face, the more important the four critical questions become. Zara's strong "I want this to be true" feeling is a confirmation bias warning bell. Pausing, checking feelings, and looking for trusted sources is what keeps her honest with herself.

Concept Tested: Pause Before Share and Checking Feelings

8. Aisha is studying an opinion she strongly believes. How can she use a counter argument to make her thinking stronger?

  1. Imagine the strongest possible argument against what she believes, and see if she can still answer it
  2. Repeat her opinion louder
  3. Block anyone who disagrees
  4. Read only sources that agree with her
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. A counter argument is the strongest case against what you believe. Great thinkers build counter arguments on purpose to test their own thinking. If you cannot fairly answer the other side, your opinion is not strong yet because you have not really thought about it from both sides.

Concept Tested: Counter Argument

9. Diego used to believe a rumor, but then he found strong new evidence that proved it wrong. What is the brave, smart move?

  1. Pretend he never heard the new evidence
  2. Change his mind and say, "I used to think X, but now I think Y, because of the new evidence"
  3. Yell at whoever shared the rumor with him
  4. Keep sharing the rumor anyway
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Changing your mind when the evidence asks you to is one of the strongest things a thinker can do. Real scientists, reporters, and great friends do it all the time. It is not a weakness — it is wisdom. Saying "I used to think X, but now I think Y" is a sentence great thinkers are proud to say.

Concept Tested: Changing Mind

10. Jordan cannot fact-check a serious claim on his own. Who should he go to?

  1. A stranger in a random game chat
  2. A clickbait pop-up
  3. A trusted adult, librarian, teacher, or smart older friend
  4. Nobody — he should just guess
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Asking for help is one of the smartest moves a thinker can make. Real scientists and reporters ask each other for help every day. For a serious claim — especially one about health, safety, or an emergency — going to a trusted adult right away is the right call. You will not be in trouble for asking.

Concept Tested: Asking For Help

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