Free HESI A2 Reading Comprehension guide
October 2026 - Critical Thinking Study Guide for nursing students in
An argument is a claim plus evidence for it. Evaluating one means asking whether that evidence is relevant, sufficient and actually supports the claim — and separating fact from opinion throughout. This is the single largest cluster of questions in Integration of knowledge and ideas.
Take the argument apart first
Before judging anything, name the parts. Most wrong answers come from evaluating a claim the author never made.
- Claim — what the author wants you to accept.
- Evidence — the facts, figures, examples or authorities offered for it.
- Assumption — what has to be true for the evidence to support the claim, but is never stated.
- Counter-argument — the opposing position, if the author raises one.
Fact or opinion
A statement that can be checked against a record is a fact. One that can only be agreed or disagreed with is an opinion, however confidently written.
| Test | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Fact | Verifiable against evidence, whether or not it is true | The ward recorded fourteen falls last quarter. |
| Opinion | Can only be agreed with or disputed | Fourteen falls is an unacceptable number. |
| Reasoned judgement | An opinion with evidence behind it — still an opinion | Given the ward's size, fourteen falls suggests a staffing problem. |
Relevance, sufficiency, support
Evidence can fail in three distinct ways, and the exam asks about each. It can be irrelevant: true, but about something else. It can be insufficient: relevant, but too thin to carry the claim — one case, one anecdote, one unusually favourable year. Or it can fail to support the claim as stated: strong evidence for a smaller claim than the one being made.
The third is the subtle one and the most commonly tested. A study showing that a drug reduces symptoms in mild cases does not support a claim about severe cases, however good the study is.
Faulty reasoning the exam expects you to spot
- Cause from correlation — two things happened together, so one caused the other.
- Hasty generalisation — a sweeping claim from one case or a handful.
- Appeal to authority — it is true because someone eminent said so, with no evidence given.
- False choice — only two options presented when others exist.
- Attacking the person — discrediting who made the claim instead of the claim.
- Circular reasoning — the evidence restates the claim in different words.
A weak argument is not a false conclusion. The question "what weakens this argument?" asks about the reasoning, not about whether the claim happens to be true. Keep the two apart and a whole class of distractors stops working.
Terms to know
- Claim
- The position an argument asks you to accept.
- Evidence
- What is offered in support of a claim.
- Assumption
- An unstated link the argument depends on.
- Relevance
- Whether evidence is about the claim at all.
- Sufficiency
- Whether there is enough evidence to carry the claim.
- Counter-argument
- The opposing position.
- Rebuttal
- The author's answer to a counter-argument.
- Fallacy
- A pattern of reasoning that does not support its conclusion.
What the HESI asks most
The same core ideas appear in different wording. If you can answer these without stopping to think, you have what this section requires.
Which statement is a fact rather than an opinion?
The one that could be checked against a record — even if you would need data you do not have.
Which evidence would most strengthen or weaken the argument?
Test each option against the claim as actually stated. Relevance decides it before strength does.
What assumption does the author make?
The unstated link. Ask what has to be true for this evidence to reach this conclusion.
Which flaw appears in the reasoning?
Name the pattern: cause from correlation, hasty generalisation, false choice, circularity.
Key points
- An argument is a claim plus evidence. Name both before judging either.
- Facts can be verified; opinions can only be agreed with or disputed.
- Evidence fails by being irrelevant, insufficient, or support for a smaller claim.
- Things occurring together do not establish cause.
- A weak argument can still have a true conclusion — the question is about the reasoning.
Review quiz
4 questions on this topic, each with the reasoning worked through. Pick an answer to see how it went, or open the explanation straight away.
Read the passage, then answer the questions below
Every ward that adopted the new bedside handover has reported higher patient satisfaction scores this year. The three wards that kept the old office handover reported lower scores. Bedside handover clearly improves the patient experience, and the trust should now mandate it across every site. A senior consultant has described the approach as the future of nursing communication, which ought to settle the matter for anyone still hesitating.
-
Question 1 of 4
Which statement from the passage is a fact rather than an opinion?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Wards that adopted bedside handover reported higher satisfaction scores this year.
Reported scores can be checked against records, which makes it a factual claim whether or not it turns out to be accurate. "Clearly improves" is an interpretation of those scores, "should mandate" is a recommendation, and "the future of nursing communication" is a prediction offered as opinion.
-
Question 2 of 4
What is the main weakness in the argument?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. It treats two things occurring together as proof that one caused the other.
The wards that changed their handover may differ in staffing, size or leadership, and the passage offers nothing to rule those out before declaring cause. Dismissing satisfaction scores outright goes further than the evidence allows, the definition is not what the argument turns on, and the single year is a lesser problem than the causal leap itself.
-
Question 3 of 4
Which additional piece of information would most weaken the argument?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. The three wards that kept the old handover were also the three that lost the most staff to vacancies this year.
A staffing difference gives a rival explanation for the very gap the argument depends on, which undercuts the causal claim at its foundation. Extra time and a minority of patients finding it intrusive are costs rather than challenges to the causal reasoning, and another trust's plans are irrelevant to whether this evidence supports the conclusion.
-
Question 4 of 4
What is wrong with the appeal to the senior consultant in the final sentence?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. It substitutes someone's standing for evidence, and the consultant offers no data.
A description, however senior its source, is not evidence — and telling hesitant readers the matter is settled makes the appeal do the argument's work for it. Expert opinion supports an argument when it comes with reasons, anonymity is a lesser issue than the missing data, and dismissing the consultant's standing would be attacking the person rather than the reasoning.
Put this HESI topic into practice
Build a set on critical thinking and use the rationale on every question to reinforce what you just reviewed.
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