TEACHER RESOURCE

Cause and consequence

the factors or circumstances that cause something to happen and
targeted 4 the consequent results or impact on future events
adaptable
Objectives: • understand the difference between cause and consequence;
Primary • learn to identify causes and consequences in various situations;
Intermediate 4 • apppreciate the value of considering these concepts in a variety of
Middle 4 circumstances.

47
Senior 4
Use the following activities to introduce the concepts
Introduce the terms ➤ Ask students to suggest words that describe the relationship between the events in each
statement.
• I burned my hand when I touched the hot stove.

consequence
• I slept in and missed my bus.

Cause and
• A mouse ran across the floor and the girl screamed.
• The door was locked so I didn’t go to class.
➤➤ Introduce the terms cause and consequence if students have not suggested them. Invite
students to provide other statements that illustrate cause and consequence. As a class
generate a definition of each term.
Identify the attributes ➤ Using the activities that follow, introduce three basic attributes of cause and consequence
of the concepts and, with older students, two advanced attributes.

#1) Events have immediate and underlying causes.

#2) Consequences can be intended or unintended, and immediate

Basic or delayed.
attributes
#3) All prior events are not causes. All subsequent events are not
consequences. There must be reason to believe that one event
influenced the other.

#4) Events have different types of causes (e.g., social, political,

Advanced economic, cultural, or psychological).
attributes
#5) Consequences may be direct or indirect.

Introduce attribute #1 Attribute #1: Events have immediate and underlying causes.
➤ Provide students with a copy of Midnight accident
(Activity Sheet A). Invite students to discuss in groups
and then share with the class all the causes of the
Midn
Just be ight
fore
midni
accid ACTI
VITY
mecha ght on ent SHEE

incident. Introduce the distinction between immediate

nic, wa e dark TA
notic s sittin and sto
ed he g in an rmy
time had on isolat night,
to ho ly on ed ca a man
p in hi e left. bin in ca
it clo s car, Gl ancin th e wood lle d John
sed. As

causes—the events that are most closely connected

and dr g at hi s. As Smith
his ne Jo hn pu iv e to th s wa he reache , an en
ighbou lled ou e gas tch, he d for gine
r, wh t of hi statio realize a cigar
the icy o had s lane n down d that ette, he
road. been and on the ro he ha
sad ev Smith drinki ad to d just
was ki ng an to the buy cig enou
ent, th

with the incident (e.g., the victim’s need for cigarettes,

lled in d wa highwa arettes gh
woul ey sh s unab y in hi
d kill ook th stantly. le to s car, before
Jo hn.” eir heads La ter, as stop it wa
gers It is wo one af the to his ca s hit
of that ter an wnsp r soon by
part of rth no other enou
47

in do the hi ting th eople gh on

ing an at loca and sa were

the victim was hit by a car)—and underlying

ything ghwa l officia id, “W discus
any in abou y, espe e alw sing
fluenc t it. Ap cially ls had ays kn the
John e with parent in wi long ew sm
had be local ly nter, been ok
author th e resid an d yet wa rned in g
stron en ch ities. ents of they of the
arged
nce

ger pe with Othe that pa seem dan-

rs cla

causes—broader circumstances that led up to or less

cons e and

nalties drinki ed un
eque

laws for dr ng an imed rt of th interes

had be inking d driv that th e town ted
en m e neig
Caus

consum ore fa and dr ing ea hbou did no

ed as ithfully iving rlier in r who t have
much enforc should the ye smas
alcoh ed in be in plac ar. They he d into
ol.

directly contributed to the incident (e.g., poor road

the to e. Othe sugges
wn wh rs wo ted th
ether ndered at
the ne if liquo
ighbou r
r woul
d have

maintenance, lax law enforcement). Ask students

to sort the causes they identified into these two
categories. Adap
ted fro
Cana m: He
dian
Histo aven & He
ry ser

Point out to students that while some causes

ies: ww ll on Earth
w.cana : Th
dianm e Massacre

➤
Cause
and
yster of the
ies.ca
conseq
uence “Blac
k” Do
nnell
ys, pa
rt of

have a greater influence on an event than

the Gr
eat Un
solve
5 d Mys
teries
in

others, events rarely have a single cause.

©
The
Critica
l Thi
nking
Consor
tium

Cause and consequence 1 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 TEACHER RESOURCE

Introduce attribute #2 Attribute #2: Consequences can be intended or unintended,

and immediate or delayed. Joel
Nagte
gaal
Goat,
friends
decid is a long- Canu

Ask students to describe a situation in their own lives

chall
enge ed to suffe
was bo grow beard g Vancou
rin cks,
Goat ACTI

➤
VITY
Nagte rn. s durin ver Ca SHEE
ga g the nuck TB
game al and ten NHL s fan
with

cons e and
playo

Caus
. Their of a big
win the vision his friends ffs. Th
e beard heart. In

where something unexpected happened as a result

pledg

eque
cup bu was 16 Ap
t the go ed to bu s so on be ril
ats by came 2009, Nagte
Nagte villag the tim y a goat fo

nce
gaal an ers in e r go ate ga
Canu d Keny the Ca a villag es an al an
cks, Go his frien a were nu e d the d his
book ” chan ds we the tru cks had the in Kenya great
me t to “G nt public e winn Stanley every tim goat
his fri mbers qu

of an action. In addition, ask students to describe a

oat, Ca with ers. Cup in e the
ends ickly nuck their hand Canu
only cre grew s, Go pla cks wo
six pla ated an of to 42 at,” the n by creati . Well

47
yoff wi ficial 5, and ng a , the Ca n a playo
webs conti camp Facebo nuck ff
The vil ns, bu ite nu ed aign s did
lagers t fans that rec to hit the int ok page. not
tiply
quick in Kenya
dona eived grow. The ernet After

situation where some consequences were immediate

ted $1 8,500 go an trans
ly. Th are
e villag grateful
7,000
–eno hits wi at-o-meter d took of form
ing the
The vil for the ugh to thin soon f. Th
lagers ers us buy 68 days. Un soare e nu “Go,
predict e the
milk
goats
. 4 goats fortu d to 12 mber of
the Ca to fee Goats are . na tel y, the
5. Na gtega
Face-
nuck d their easy Canu al
s will child to cks ma and
ren an take care of

and others happened quite some time after the event.

have naged
bette d they an
r luck
next tim sell the d eat alm
baby ost an
e. Th goats yth
ey wi
ll pray to pay ing. They
their mul-
Imm for the school
ediat Cons m to fees.

Provide students with a copy of Goat, Canucks,

e cons eque win the
eque nces Stanley

es
nces Cup.

uenc
consequence
Cause and

nseq
Delay

Goat (Activity Sheet B). Invite students to read

ed co

ded co
nseq
uenc
es

Inten
the story and brainstorm the actual and potential

es
uenc
nseq
consequences of the Canuck fan’s action. Ask

d co
tende
Unin
students to sort their list of consequences into Source
http://ws: http://canu
ww.cb
c.ca/c
cks.nh
anada/
l.com/c
british lub/news.htm

intended and unintended, and immediate and

-colum
bia/sto ?id=45362
Cause ry/200 1
and
conseq 9/05/1
uence 4/bc-vanc
ouver-c
anucks
-goats
-africa

delayed.
-kenya

©
The
Critica
l Thi
nking
Consor

Attribute #3: All prior events are not causes. All subsequent events
tium

Introduce attribute #3
47

are not consequences. There must be reason to

believe that one event influenced the other.
➤➤ Provide students with a copy of Sorting events (Activity
Sortin
Sort
the ca g ev
Sort
the “b
rds int
o tw
Incide
o cate
nt: Cin ents ACTI
VITY
SHEE

Sheet C). Explain to students that the events are

efore” dere TC
Sort gorie lla an
the “a even s: even d the
fter” ts int ts be Princ
even o tw fore e ma
ts int o cate the inc rry
o tw gorie ide
o cate s: causes nt, ev
Cind gorie , prec ents
erell s: cons eding after
a is

associated with the Prince’s marriage to Cinderella in

stepm m eque even th e inc
othe istreated nces, ts ident
r and by he subseq
steps uent
isters. r even
ts

Cind

the familiar fairy tale. Invite students to sort the list into
The erell
a is no
Cind fairy godm go to t all
erell ot the ba owed to
go to a a gown her mag ll.
th an ically
that e ball, bu d carriag

47
makes
she m t e so
ust be she warn

two categories: events before the marriage and events

sh
hom s Cind e can
e by er
midni ella
ght. Cind
erell
a mee
at th ts the Prin

nce
The Pr

cons e and
ince e ball. ce

after the marriage. Once students have completed

eque
and
Cind
erell

Caus
a danc
e.

this initial sorting activity, instruct them to sort the

The Pr
Cind ince
erell is
Ci
the ba nderella a’s be smitten
ll at ru auty by
spell midni ns away and
charm
runs ght be from .
ou fo
slipp t, but she re the m

two piles of cards in the following manner:

er as
she ru loses her agic
ns aw glass
ay. The Pr
ince
foot di
The ste is the scovers th
only at Ci

• sort the “before” events into two categories:

psist that
Cind ers we will fi one in hi nderella’s
erell re as t the s
a wa
s the
tonish glass kingdom
beau ed to find slipp
er.
tiful
prince out
ss.

causes of the marriage of Cinderella and the

The Pr
in
Cind
erell live ha ce and Ci
a is ppily nder
ever ella
of he freed fro after.
r stepm m
othe the cruel

Prince and simply preceding events; and

r and treat
steps m
isters. ent

Cause The
the Pr old King
and
conseq

• sort the “after” events into two categories:

uence
ince di
is cro es and
wned
King
.
7

consequences of the incident and simply

©
The
Critica
l Thi
nking
Consor
tium

subsequent events.
➤➤ Discuss with students the need for evidence in the identification of a cause-
consequence relationship. Invite students to think of an example of an incident in their life
(e.g., doing well on an essay assignment). Invite students to create a web such as the one
below, identifying which of the prior and subsequent events are causes and consequences of
the incident by colouring and linking them with arrows.

Prior events Subsequent events

Flattered
Feedback the teacher Went to
on draft bed early
Feel
Revised drafts proud
of the paper
“A” Grade
Set aside
time to work Did thorough Raised my
research term mark Did my math
homework

Visited
with friends

Cause and consequence 2 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 TEACHER RESOURCE

Introduce attribute #4 Attribute #4: Events have different types of causes (e.g., social, political, economic, cultural, or
psychological).

➤➤ Review the scenario presented in Midnight accident (Activity Sheet A) and the suggested and
implied causes of the accident. Guide students in describing the types of causes that contributed
to the accident.

➤➤ Identify a school, community, regional, or global event that is of interest to students. An ex-
ample might be closing an after-school youth program. Invite students to brainstorm the possible

47
causes in each of the following categories: social, cultural, political, economic, educational,
environmental, and psychological.

Introduce attribute #5 Attribute #5: Consequences may be direct or indirect.

consequence
➤➤ Ask students if they have heard the term “ripple effect” and ask them to provide an example

Cause and
of the ripple effect. If necessary, provide the following example:

Susan gave apples from her tree to her neighbour, Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones made apple
pies and gave one to her friend, Kevin. Kevin was so pleased he invited his new neigh-
bours over for dessert. The neighbours had such a good time they decided to host a
block party.

➤➤ Point out to students that consequences can be direct—they

follow from the event without additional action required—or
indirect—they result only because of the consequences of
the event and not simply because of the event on its own.
Web
of effect ACTI
s VITY
SHEE
TD

cons e and
For example, while making the pie is a direct consequence

Caus
Indire

eque
ct co
nseq
uenc
es

nce
of receiving the apples from Susan, Kevin inviting guests
47
over to his house is an indirect consequence because it
depended not simply on Susan giving the apples but also Di
cons rect

on what Mrs. Jones did with them. Provide students

eque
nces

EVEN
T

with a copy of Web of effects (Activity Sheet D).

Invite them to consider a current or historic school,
community, regional, or global event and brainstorm
the direct and indirect consequences.
Cause
and
conseq

➤➤ Introduce Student Resource, Cause and conse-

uence

Reinforce 8

quence. Review each of the elements: the key at-

Caus
the concept the fa
ctors
e and
cons
The
©
Critica
l Thi
nking
the co or cir
cumsta eque Consor

tributes of the concept, reasons for understanding the

tium
nseq
Wha
t are
uent
results
nces
or im
that
cause nce STUD
the ke pact somet ENT
y attr on hi ng to RESO
future happ URCE
ibutes even en

concept, similar terminology, and the self-assessment

Ev or fe ts and
have ents atures
imme of th
and
unde
diate
EXAM
ese co
rly
causes ing PLE: ncep
.
I was
not
I did
not rea ts?
cause) weari d the
so I mis ng my gla

rubric. Help students create their own examples repre-

letter
were sed the sses becaus
bro
get the ken and meeti (immedia e
My own
I ng. My te
(under m fixed bec could no examp
lying ause t afford glasses le:
cause) I lost to
Basic . my job
attribu

senting each attribute. Encourage students to refer to

Conse
tes can be quences EXAM
PLE:
47

inten of exp I bo
or un ded ensive ught my
inten mowin chocol neigh
and
imme ded, was
g my ates bo
to tha urs a gift
diate deligh lawn. On nk
delay or e of
ed. imm
edi
ted wit
h the nei them for My own

this resource when using these concepts in the future.

thoug ate conseq the gift gh examp
ht I wa uence) (inten bours le:
(unint s ded,
All ended, being too and the
nce

pri A week imm genero other

not cau or events
cons e and

ediate
becam later, on us
eque

ses. All are e of conseq

even e ver the uence)
ts are sub contai y sick
not co sequent from neighbours .
Caus

There nin
must nsequ conseq g nuts eating
that be rea uence) (un intend a cho
one ences allergi colate
even son . c to nu . I did no ed,
t infl to believe ts. t kno delayed
uenc EXAM w she
other. ed the PLE: was
with I
my wif left the ho

➤➤ Invite students to explore cause and consequence

have e and use aft
had
with any nu had a car er hav
ing an
the mb acc
Follow argument er of cau ident. The argument
ing the . ses and accide
a lun accide had nt ma
ch nothi My own
conseq appointm nt, I
wa ng to y examp
uence ent s late do le:
appoin of the . My latene for work

further using a relevant contemporary, historic or

tment accide ss and
(e.g.,
for may
have nt, bu may hav I forgo
calend getting t mis e bee t
ar). to rec had nume sing
the lun a
n
ord the rous ch
appoin other cau
Even tment ses
have ts in my
dif feren

fictional event they are studying.

types
(e.g., of cau t
social ses EXAM
econo , politi PLE
mic, cal, on Frid : The par
psych cultural,
ays to k wa
gather discou s closed
ologic or ings
al). save of you rage lar at 8
mo ng peo ge gro pm
neigh ney (econ ple (so up My own
Adva bo
celebr urhood
omic); cial); examp
nc to cre to
attribu ed ation in res ate le:
pect
s (cu
ltural of rel a quieter
tes ). igious

Conse
may quen
be dir ces
ect or EXAM
indire cuttin
PLE:
Bleedi
ct. g my ng
Cause shirt finger. is a direct My own
and is an Gettin result examp
conseq my fi indire g blo of le:
uence nger. ct con
sequen od on my
ce of
cuttin
g

©
The
Critica
l Thi
nking
Consor
tium

Cause and consequence 3 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 TEACHER RESOURCE

Apply the concept in ➤➤ At appropriate times over the ensuing several weeks, ask students to use this concept in regular
everyday teaching classroom situations, including the following:
• identifying the causes and consequences of scientific phenomena;
• exploring the causes and consequences of historic or current events;
• understanding the causes and consequences of personal actions in real life and in literature.

Assess student ➤➤ Encourage students to refer to the rubric found in the Stu-
understanding dent Resource when self-assessing their understanding
consequence
Cause and

How

of these concepts.
well
do I
unde
Asse rstand
ssing the co
ncep
my u ts?
nders STUD
ENT
tand

• Allow students opportunities to apply the concepts

Acco RESO
mplish
ed ing o URCE
Reco
gnize f “ca
exam
ples Go use/c
I can
ea of th
e conc
od
onse
examp sily identi epts: quen

two or three times without evaluation.

fy
includ les of the
difficu
ing co co
mplex ncepts, I can
ide
Basic ce”
lt exa
mples or examp ntify mo
st Need
. but I les of the s impr
someti concep I can ovem
troub me s ha ts, ide ent
le examp ntify ob
Expla difficu with the ve les vious
in wh lt or mo re bu of the co
examp comp t I am
y the by the often co ncepts,

• Guide students in interpreting and using the rubric

les. lex I need
conc
I can
ea ept do co
examp mplex or sed
nfu even help identi
a sug sily explain es or les. difficu sim fyi
the co ple examp ng

47
gestio wh does lt ncep
examp n is no en not ap ts. les of
even le of the co t an I can ply:
in exp lain
difficu complex ncepts, cases
when in most

to assess their own responses.

lt situ or is not a sug
ation an ge
s. the co example stion I can
ncep explain
troub ts, bu of cases
why in obvious

nce
le t
more explaining I have is or a sug

cons e and
Prov is ge

eque
ide my dif
examp ficult or the these not an exa stion I need
own les. comp have
concep mp
ts, bu le of simple help explain

Caus
ex lex
I can
thi
ample
s of th
tro
the co uble exp t I often concep examples ing even
examp nk of my e mplex lain ts. of the
co or dif ing

• Encourage students to use the rubric whenever

ow ncep exa
even les of the n ts: mples
. ficult
in co
situati very comp ncepts, I can
thi
ons. lex examp nk of my
ow
most le of the co n
of the ncep I can
have ts
troub time, but examp
think
of my
47

examp le thi I

they use these concepts.

ow
comp les in the ing of
nk but I les some of n
oft
lex
situati or difficu re
mo think en have the time, I need
ons. lt in co
ing of tro
examp uble examp help think
ing of
mp
situati lex or dif les situati les even in
ons. ficult ons. simple

To use the rubric for teacher evaluation of stu-

dent work, remove the first person (student)
reference from each descriptor.
Cause
and
conseq
uence

11

©
The
Critica
l Thi
nking
Consor
tium

Cause and consequence 4 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 ACTIVITY SHEET A

Midnight accident

Just before midnight one dark and stormy night, a man called John Smith, an engine
mechanic, was sitting in an isolated cabin in the woods. As he reached for a cigarette, he
noticed he had only one left. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he had just enough
time to hop in his car, and drive to the gas station down the road to buy cigarettes before

47
it closed. As John pulled out of his lane and onto the highway in his car, it was hit by
his neighbour, who had been drinking and was unable to stop his car soon enough on
the icy road. Smith was killed instantly. Later, as the townspeople were discussing the

consequence
sad event, they shook their heads one after another and said, “We always knew smoking

Cause and
would kill John.” It is worth noting that local officials had long been warned of the dan-
gers of that part of the highway, especially in winter, and yet they seemed uninterested
in doing anything about it. Apparently the residents of that part of the town did not have
any influence with local authorities. Others claimed that the neighbour who smashed into
John had been charged with drinking and driving earlier in the year. They suggested that
stronger penalties for drinking and driving should be in place. Others wondered if liquor
laws had been more faithfully enforced in the town whether the neighbour would have
consumed as much alcohol.

Adapted from: Heaven & Hell on Earth: The Massacre of the “Black” Donnellys, part of the Great Unsolved Mysteries in
Canadian History series: www.canadianmysteries.ca.

Cause and consequence 5 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 ACTIVITY SHEET B

Goat, Canucks, Goat

Joel Nagtegaal is a long-suffering Vancouver Canucks fan with a big heart. In April 2009, Nagtegaal and his
friends decided to grow beards during the NHL playoffs. The beards soon became goatees and the great goat
challenge was born.

Nagtegaal and ten of his friends pledged to buy a goat for a village in Kenya every time the Canucks won a playoff
game. Their vision was 16 goats by the time the Canucks had the Stanley Cup in hand. Well, the Canucks did not
consequence
Cause and

win the cup but the villagers in Kenya were the true winners.

Nagtegaal and his friends went public with their plan by creating a Facebook page. After transforming the “Go,
Canucks, Go” chant to “Goat, Canucks, Goat,” the campaign hit the internet and took off. The number of Face-
book members quickly grew to 425, and continued to grow. The goat-o-meter soon soared to 125. Nagtegaal and
his friends created an official website that received 8,500 hits within days. Unfortunately, the Canucks managed
only six playoff wins, but fans donated $17,000–enough to buy 684 goats.
47

The villagers in Kenya are grateful for the goats. Goats are easy to take care of and eat almost anything. They mul-
tiply quickly. The villagers use the milk to feed their children and they sell the baby goats to pay their school fees.

The villagers predict the Canucks will have better luck next time. They will pray for them to win the Stanley Cup.

Consequences

Immediate consequences Delayed consequences

Intended consequences
Unintended consequences

Sources: http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=453621;
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/05/14/bc-vancouver-canucks-goats-africa-kenya.

Cause and consequence 6 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 ACTIVITY SHEET C

Sorting events
Incident: Cinderella and the Prince marry
Sort the cards into two categories: events before the incident, events after the incident
Sort the “before” events into two categories: causes, preceding events
Sort the “after” events into two categories: consequences, subsequent events

47
Cinderella is mistreated by her Cinderella is not allowed to
stepmother and stepsisters. go to the ball.

consequence
Cause and
The fairy godmother magically makes
Cinderella a gown and carriage so she can Cinderella meets the Prince
go to the ball, but she warns Cinderella at the ball.
that she must be home by midnight.

The Prince and Cinderella dance. The Prince is smitten by

Cinderella’s beauty and charm.

Cinderella runs away from

The Prince discovers that Cinderella’s
the ball at midnight before the magic
foot is the only one in his kingdom
spell runs out, but she loses her glass
that will fit the glass slipper.
slipper as she runs away.

The stepsisters were astonished to find out The Prince and Cinderella
Cinderella was the beautiful princess. live happily ever after.

Cinderella is freed from the cruel treatment The old King dies and
of her stepmother and stepsisters. the Prince is crowned King.

Cause and consequence 7 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 ACTIVITY SHEET D

Web of effects

Indirect consequences
consequence
Cause and
47

Direct EVENT
consequences

Cause and consequence 8 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium

 STUDENT RESOURCE

Cause and consequence

the factors or circumstances that cause something to happen and
the consequent results or impact on future events

What are the key attributes or features of these concepts?

Events Example: I did not read the letter because My own example:
have immediate

47
I was not wearing my glasses (immediate
and underlying cause) so I missed the meeting. My glasses
causes. were broken and I could not afford to
get them fixed because I lost my job
(underlying cause).

consequence
Cause and
EXAMPLE: I bought my neighbours a gift My own example:
of expensive chocolates to thank them for
Consequences
Basic mowing my lawn. One of the neighbours
can be intended
was delighted with the gift (intended,
attributes or unintended, immediate consequence) and the other
and immediate or thought I was being too generous
delayed. (unintended, immediate consequence).
A week later, one of the neighbours
became very sick from eating a chocolate
containing nuts (unintended, delayed
All consequence). I did not know she was
prior events are allergic to nuts.
not causes. All subsequent
events are not consequences.
EXAMPLE: I left the house after having an argument My own example:
There must be reason to believe with my wife and had a car accident. The accident may
that one event influenced the have had any number of causes and had nothing to do
other. with the argument.
Following the accident, I was late for work and I forgot
a lunch appointment. My lateness may have been a
consequence of the accident, but missing the lunch
appointment may have had numerous other causes
(e.g., forgetting to record the appointment in my
calendar).

Events
Example: The park was closed at 8 pm My own example:
have different
types of causes on Fridays to discourage large group
gatherings of young people (social); to
(e.g., social, political,
save money (economic); to create a quieter
economic, cultural, or
neighbourhood in respect of religious
psychological).
celebrations (cultural).

My own example:
Advanced
attributes
EXAMPLE: Bleeding is a direct result of
Consequences
cutting my finger. Getting blood on my
may be direct or
shirt is an indirect consequence of cutting
indirect. my finger.

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 STUDENT RESOURCE

Why is understanding these concepts important?

• Increasing understanding: If I can identify multiple causes of events, I My own example:
can understand them more fully.
It is easy to say a war was caused by one country’s actions, but there
are many other causes to consider.
consequence
Cause and

• Preventing something from happening again: If I know the causes of My own example:
events, I can prevent a situation from recurring.
I didn’t do well on the exam because I didn’t study until the night
before.
47

• Thinking ahead when making decisions: If I consider the short- and

long-term consequences of my actions, I can make better decisions.
My own example:

If I accept this job, I may have more spending money, but I will also
have less time and greater expenses because I need to have clothes for
work and need to get to and from my job.

How are other terms are related to these concepts?

Similar terms Confusing terms

Cause Correlation
factor Events that happen just prior to or just after an incident may
influence not have any causal relationship with the incident.

Consequence
effect
outcome
result
impact

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 STUDENT RESOURCE

How well do I understand the concepts?

Assessing my understanding of “cause/consequence”

Accomplished Good Basic Needs improvement

Recognize examples of the concepts:

47
I can easily identify I can identify most I can identify obvious I need help identifying
examples of the concepts, examples of the concepts, examples of the concepts, even simple examples of
including complex or but I sometimes have but I am often confused the concepts.
difficult examples. trouble with the more by the complex or difficult

consequence
difficult or complex examples.

Cause and
examples.

Explain why the concept does or does not apply:

I can easily explain when I can explain in most I can explain in obvious I need help explaining even
a suggestion is not an cases when a suggestion cases why a suggestion simple examples of the
example of the concepts, is not an example of is or is not an example of concepts.
even in complex or the concepts, but I have these concepts, but I often
difficult situations. trouble explaining the have trouble explaining
more difficult or complex the complex or difficult
examples. examples.

Provide my own examples of the concepts:

I can think of my own I can think of my own I can think of my own I need help thinking of
examples of the concepts, example of the concepts examples some of the time, examples even in simple
even in very complex most of the time, but I but I often have trouble situations.
situations. have trouble thinking of thinking of examples
examples in the more in complex or difficult
complex or difficult situations.
situations.

Cause and consequence 11 ©    The Critical Thinking Consortium