TENTH GRADE

 

Module 2  -  Lesson 2

 

Much of what you read in newspapers or magazines is a mix of factual information and the opinions of the author. Often the opinions are disguised as fact, to make the author's argument seem more believable. For example:

 

"Registration and control of firearms in Canada is not supported by the Canadian
public, and will not lead to a decrease in gun-related crime in Canada."


The statement in red is a fact. (Notice, though, that even 'facts' can be misleading if not explained. What does 'supported' mean? The implication is that most people don't support gun control, but the actual figures indicate about a 50-50 split.)


The statement in blue is an opinion. It is obviously a conclusion, since we don't know what is going to happen.
There is nothing wrong with mixing opinions and fact together in an argument, of course ... it's done all the time. What is important is that the reader be able to distinguish the fact from the opinion, in order to make a sound judgment about the information they are receiving!

 

Definitions:

Top of Form

A statement of fact expresses only what actually happened, or what could be proven by objective data.


A statement of opinion expresses an attitude toward something – it makes a judgment, view, or conclusion, or gives an opinion that cannot be proven true or false.

 

Bottom of Form

 

Remember:

 

A fact is something that is true or can be proven.

 

An opinion is your feelings or how someone else feels about a particular topic.

 

Facts and opinions

 

Practicing exercise

 

I. Directions: Read each sentence. Determine if it is a fact or opinion and write it on the line.

1. ________ Green is my favorite color.

2. ________ George Washington was the first president.

3. ________ I really enjoyed the football game last weekend.

4. ________ Thanksgiving is celebrated in November in America.

5. ________ Billy’s favorite food is pizza.

6. ________ The Presidential Election is held in November.

7. ________ Brazil is located in the continent of South America.

8. ________ Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.

9. ________ Country is my favorite type of music.

10. ________ I enjoy reading books by Judy Blume.

11. ________ Earth only has one moon.

12. ________ There are 60 seconds in a minute.

13. ________ Christmas is the best part of the year.

14. ________ Rhode Island is the smallest state in the US.

 

Facts and opinions

 

Practicing exercise-Answer key

 

1. _opinion_ Green is my favorite color.

2. _fact___ George Washington was the first president.

3. _opinion I really enjoyed the football game last weekend.

4. _fact___ Thanksgiving is celebrated in November in America.

5. _opinion_ Billy’s favorite food is pizza.

6. _fact___ The Presidential Election is held in November.

7. _fact___ Brazil is located in the continent of South America.

8. _fact___ Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.

9. _opinion _Country is my favorite type of music.

10. _opinion _I enjoy reading books by Judy Blume.

11. _fact___ Earth only has one moon.

12. _fact___ There are 60 seconds in a minute.

13. _opinion_ Christmas is the best part of the year.

14. _fact___ Rhode Island is the smallest state in the US.

 

Facts and opinions

 

Quiz

 

Write fact if the sentence is a fact. Write opinion if the sentence is an opinion.

 

1. Earth is the third planet from the sun.

2. That dress is ugly.

3. Standing still will hurt your feet.

4. My mom is prettier than her mom.

5. Red and blue are colors.

6. It is hard on your skin to be out in the sun too much.

7. Christmas is the best holiday.

8. My grandmother goes to the library once a week.

9. Cheese is best on crackers.

10. A galaxy is a group of billions of stars that are held together by gravity's pull.

11. Peanuts make me sick.

12. Jordan would be a fun country to visit sometime.

13. Math is the hardest subject to learn.

14. The world's longest river is the Nile River in Africa, which flows for 4,145 miles.

15. Chocolate is the best ice cream.

 

Facts and opinions

 

Quiz-Answer key

 

1   fact

2   opinion

3   opinion

4   opinion

5   fact

6   fact

7   opinion

8   fact

9   opinion

10 fact

11 fact

12 opinion

13 opinion

14 fact

15 opinion

 

Facts and opinions

 

Test

 

Write fact if the sentence is a fact. Write opinion if the sentence is an opinion.

1. 

 

 

Ancient Egyptians slept on wooden beds.

 

 

2. 

 

 

The customer got angry because her new fan was broken.

 

 

3. 

 

 

Indiana is prettier than Illinois.

 

 

4. 

 

 

The town required a fence around in ground pools.

 

 

5. 

 

 

Nicole never knows what she is talking about.

 

 

6. 

 

 

You really don't need to eat a balanced diet to stay healthy.

 

 

7. 

 

 

Computer games quickly become boring.

 

 

8. 

 

 

Spanish is widely spoken in South America.

 

 

9. 

 

 

If the president dies in office, the vice president becomes the president.

 

 

10. 

 

 

Beethoven had a great talent for music composition.

 

 

11. 

 

 

Reading is better than playing video games.

 

 

12. 

 

 

The largest city in the world is Tokyo, Japan, with more than 26 million people.

 

 

13. 

 

 

The all-time best selling book is the Bible.

 

 

14. 

 

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

 

15. 

 

 

The gardener chased the rabbits out of his cabbage field.

 

 

 

 

Facts and opinions

 

Test-Answer key

 

1

fact

2

fact

3

opinion

4

fact

5

opinion

6

opinion

7

opinion

8

fact

9

fact

10

opinion

11

opinion

12

fact

13

fact

14

opinion

15

fact

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