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Critical thinking exercises: check a claim before you believe it

Critical thinking means stating a claim clearly, separating evidence from opinion, checking the source and looking for another explanation before you decide or share. Zayenha Practice offers short exercises for this, and below is its pre-mortem practice: imagine your view or decision turned out wrong and write the likely reasons, free and with no account.

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Pre-Mortem: Imagining the Decision Failed

Pre-mortem canvas

Imagine in one year, your project failed completely. Write 7 likely causes and a preventive action this week for each.

What you write stays on this device only and reappears on the practice page. A Zayenha account is free; the rest of the library (1,400 practices) comes with Plus.

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When someone says “this method always works,” you do not have to accept or reject it immediately. Write down the precise claim, what evidence would support or weaken it, and what next step fits the stakes.

Source-verification exercise

Define the claim and the evidence it would need

Consider “A timer improves everyone's productivity.” What does “everyone” mean here? Are we measuring the number of tasks, their quality or something else? Turning a broad sentence into a specific question reveals what you would need to observe. Put what actually happened in one column and your interpretation in another; an impression is not a controlled test. Try this separation in the digital information review practice.

Check the source and context

Who first made the claim, when and for which audience? Open the original source if it is available, then compare it with an independent one rather than a page that merely repeats it. Notice whether the example is one person's experience, a small study or a setting unlike yours. The source-verification exercise provides a concrete way to pause before sharing information. This does not mean every claim is false; your confidence should fit the evidence you can inspect.

Which critical-thinking criteria help here?

Ask whether the statement is clear, the evidence is relevant, the source can be checked, the conclusion relies on an unstated assumption and another explanation is plausible. These are practical criteria, not personality types. Checking a source, analysing an argument and comparing alternatives are different uses of the skill; choose the one your question needs. The aim is not to collect objections for their own sake but to ask a question that improves your understanding before a decision.

Test another explanation and make a proportionate choice

A team's output may improve after adopting a new tool because its schedule changed or the task became clearer, not only because of the tool. Ask what else could explain the result and what new information would change your view. For a low-stakes choice, test a small change and record what happened. For a consequential choice, seek stronger evidence and appropriate expertise. Use problem-solving when you need a test plan, or decision-making when comparing two options.

Practices linked to this guide

Digital & AI
Detecting Model Hallucinations
Learn 4 signals that reveal the model invented info instead of citing documented fact.
12 min
Digital & AI
The Two Independent Sources Rule
Do not use AI-sourced info before verifying it in two independent external sources.
8 min

Frequently asked questions

Does critical thinking mean criticising people?
No. It means examining ideas and evidence, including your own, respectfully and with room to revise a view.
Do I need certainty before every choice?
No. Make a practical choice with a level of confidence that fits its consequences, and state what you do not know.

Check one claim today

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