Concept:Critical thinking means questioning claims, seeking evidence, and forming conclusions—not blindly accepting authority or dismissing inquiry.
Explanation:Option (A): Examining Census of India reports for different years lets students check the teacher's claim against real data. This builds analysis and evidence-evaluation skills.
Option (B): Accepting the statement just because the teacher is knowledgeable encourages blind faith, not critical thinking. So this is incorrect.
Option (C): Using newspaper reports to counter-argue forces students to find alternative sources and reason independently. This also promotes critical thinking.
Option (D): Dismissing the statement's potential for inquiry is the opposite of fostering critical thinking. So this is incorrect.
Thus, the teacher can develop critical thinking by having students examine census data and engage with counter-arguments based on reports.
Answer:D. Only (A) and (C)