How does having diverse members in a group increase the critical thinking of the group?
It is just as important to define concepts as it is to identify them. For example, diversity will actually mean different things in different circumstances. This is a subtle but important distinction- you must have a clear (if not absolute) definition of a cncept before you begin to research it.
Evidence to win a bet with a rival in the dorm.
What are the stakes? Money? Bragging rights? Public humiliation for the loser? The secrets of creation? (I have a sneaking suspicion that this will not be considered, considered a substantive annotation, so I will make an extra).
Only one version of the truth is presented about controversial issues.
Very important. You can create a false impression easily simply by omitting information, as opposed to outright lying. The "sin of omission" is a huge and often unrecognized problem in researching information. If you know there is another side, please gather information about it. Ideally, study until you can understand why your opponents feel the way they do.