What is criterion?

A criterion is the standard used to judge whether something counts: what makes an action ethical, a policy successful, a sample adequate.

Principle questions often hide a criterion in the passage and ask you to apply it to a new case.

Match the new case to the stated standard, not to your own opinion of it.

If the criterion has two parts, the case must satisfy both. One is not enough.

Related glossary entry: principle.

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Last updated October 12, 2026