Critical Thinking Skills Assignment (1) Evaluation skill: Evaluation is associated with the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. The judgements are to be based on definite criteria. These criteria may be determined by relevance, purpose, statements, and numerical values or calculations. Please watch the video clips provided on Evaluating Logic Part 1,2 and 3 Read the following vignette carefully and answer questions using the evaluation skill. Emily Smith just received a promotion at work that increased her annual salary to $42,000. She is eligible to participate in her employers 401(k) retirement plan to which the employer matches, dollar for dollar, workers contributions up to 5% of salary. However, Emily wants to buy a new $25,000 car in 3 years, and she wants to have enough money to make a $10,000 down payment on the car and finance the balance. Fortunately, she expects a sizable bonus this year that she hopes will cover that down payment in 3 years. A wedding is also in her plans. Emily and her boyfriend, Paul, have set a wedding date two years in the future, after he finishes medical school. In addition, Emily and Paul want to buy a home of their own in 5 years. This might be possible because two years later, Emily will be eligible to access a trust fund left to her as an inheritance by her late grandfather. Her trust fund has $80,000 invested at an interest rate of 5%.

6. Deductive reasoning starts with a general principle and deduces that it applies to a specific case. Deductive reasoning moves with exacting precision from the assumed truth of a set of premises to a conclusion which cannot be false if those premises are true. Explain the deductive reasoning process applied to analyze the firms performance.