Pick-the-Right-Tool Quiz

Q1. Your design review stalls because no one can plainly describe the new caching layer. Which framework will *most directly* unblock the meeting? Decision Tree
Feynman Technique
Analogical Mapping
Socratic Questioning

Q2. You must cut 40% latency from an API that’s already well-tuned. First step? Feynman Technique
First-Principles Decomposition
Analogical Mapping
Decision Tree

Q3. A Sev-2 incident shows intermittent timeouts. You map components and arrows between them to isolate the root cause. Which framework are you using? Decision Tree / Causal Diagram
Socratic Questioning
Analogical Mapping
First-Principles Decomposition

Q4. Brainstorming a new autoscaling algorithm, the team looks at freeway-traffic control for inspiration. What framework is that? Analogical Mapping
Feynman Technique
Decision Tree
Socratic Questioning

Q5. During retro, a senior asks: *“What evidence do we have that disk I/O is the bottleneck?”* This is an example of… Socratic Questioning
Feynman Technique
First-Principles Decomposition
Analogical Mapping

Q6. Which pair **best** matches problem symptom → first-choice framework? Creative block → Decision Tree
Too many alternative solutions → Feynman Technique
Hidden premises causing misaligned debates → Socratic Questioning
Need to derive non-obvious lower bounds → Analogical Mapping

Q7. True or False: First-Principles thinking *always* takes longer than a Decision Tree analysis. True
False (time depends on scope and familiarity)

Q8. Which framework *directly* improves your explanatory power to non-experts? Feynman Technique
Decision Tree
First-Principles Decomposition
Socratic Questioning

Q9. You realize you're losing track of complex details during a discussion. You start sketching a diagram to capture interactions clearly. Which method describes this? Analogical Mapping
Decision Tree
Image Thinking & Diagrams
Feynman Technique

Q10. A performance issue spans multiple teams and systems. You consider inputs, outputs, and feedback loops across components. What approach are you applying? Analogical Mapping
Decision Tree
Systems Thinking
Socratic Questioning

Q11. You create vivid mental images to ensure you deeply understand and retain key points during a complex lecture. Which thinking tool does this exemplify? Feynman Technique
Image Thinking & Diagrams
Decision Tree
First-Principles Decomposition

Q12. You're trying to identify a bottleneck in a data pipeline. You systematically break down each stage and substage of the process. Which tool is most directly used here? Decision Tree
Feynman Technique
Image Thinking & Diagrams
First-Principles Decomposition

Q13. Your team keeps circling around vague disagreements. You pause to visually map out everyone's arguments clearly on a whiteboard. What technique are you primarily employing? Image Thinking & Diagrams
Analogical Mapping
Socratic Questioning
Feynman Technique

Q14. When analyzing recurring outages, you look not just at immediate causes but at long-term feedback loops and interdependencies. Which method aligns with this perspective? Analogical Mapping
Systems Thinking
Decision Tree
Feynman Technique

thinking