Chapter Two

Differentiating Facts from Opinions

Introduction In the reading world, some reading material conveys

objective facts, which are expressed in objective language; some reflects subjective opinions, which are expressed in subjective language; and still some is the mixture of facts and opinions. For example, in a writing, to persuade readers to accept his opinion, an author may use a lot of facts to support his opinion. This kind of reading material is fairly common. In fact, much of the reading matter encountered by the typical reader contains at least some opinion. Therefore the ability to differentiate facts from opinions is very essential in critical reading.

The ability to differentiate fact from opinion is the key to being an independent thinker and analyzer.

Mistaking fact for opinion can make one an ignorant person. For instance,Dress-down days improve employee's morale.Is it a fact or an opinion?

If you take it as a fact, you will accept it. However if you take it as an opinion, you would question the statement, "do dress-down days really improve employee's morale?".

What is a fact? A fact is a statement or piece of information, base

d on hard evidence. It is true, provable and beyond dispute.

What is an opinion? An opinion is what a person feels or thinks about s

omething, it has not been proven. It is based on the person's own interpretations, assumptions, motives, and selective use of facts." When expressing their opinions, sometimes, writers use signal words and emotional words such as (signal words) feel, think, perhaps, maybe, believe, seem, (emotional words) favorite, worst, terrible, wonderful, strongest and valuable.

How to differentiate facts from opinions?

Sometimes, we find that it is not always possible to categorize statements neatly into a fact category or an opinion category. The following criteria can help you decide whether a statement is more of a fact or more of an opinion. The positive answer to the criteria means the statement is a fact. The negative answer to the criteria means it is an opinion.

The statement comes from a believable authority.e.g. I have read Farmer Jone’s recent article on how to

grow tomatoes. (believable) I have read Farmer Jone’s recent article on how to e

xtract a tooth. (unbelievable)

The statement is substantiated by other evidence or authorities.

e.g. There is evidence that smoking causes lung cancer. (substantiated)

There is evidence that laetrile （苦杏仁苷） can help to cure cancer. (not substantiated)

The statement is reconcilable with what we know from personal experience.

e.g. I read that rewarding children for their good behavior gives you well-behaved children. That’s just what happens in many families. (reconcilable)

I read that allowing children to make choices at an early age builds responsibility. That doesn’t work in most families. (irreconcilable)

The statement seems logical and reasonable.e.g. Keeping a checking account helps to balance your household b

udget. (logical and reasonable) If you use all the grocery coupons you find in the paper, you’ll sav

e lots of money. (illogical and unreasonable)

The statement is generally accepted to be true or a truth.e.g. The sun is about 93 million miles from earth. (true) UFOs are commonplace. (not true)

Exercise: Read each of the following statements and decide whether it is more of a fact or an opinion.

1. India has a much larger population than Canada.2. Air travel is safer than any other method of transportati

on.3. Toads are ugly; frogs can jump; snakes are slimy.4. At one time, the automobile was a chief source of pollu

tion in the U.S.5. The clothing people wear is indicative of prevailing soci

al attitudes.6. In general, boys mature more slowly than girls.7. Scientific experiments have established that adding flu

orine to drinking water reduces cavities.8. A person’s behavior is a result of previous experience

s.

Identifying Types of Language

In order to read critically, a reader must have the ability to identify different types of language. Generally speaking, there are two types of language: objective language and subjective language. Of course, strictly factual prose is fairly uncommon. In this way a critical reader must judge the extent of the emotive factor in a piece of writing.

Objective language is an informative or factual language. It is used to report and describe ideas and events without any personal involvement on the part of the writer. We can find much of our everyday reading material uses objective language, such as reference books, textbooks, contracts and phone directories. The purpose of these writings is only to present information or facts to readers.

Subjective language, on the contrary, is an emotive or opinion-based language. It is used to reveal writers’ attitudes and feelings toward their subjects.

Ex. Decide which type of language is used in the following two paragraphs respectively.

Abortion is technically defined as the expulsion of a fetus from the womb before it is sufficiently developed to survive. Abortion was legalized in the United States in January 1973. The Supreme Court decision stated that prior to the end of the third month of pregnancy the decision to have an abortion was solely that of the pregnant woman and her physician. After that stage abortion is permissible if the mother’s health is in danger.

Abortion can be defined as taking the life of another human being during its fetal development. The inhumane act of abortion was legalized in the Unite States in January 1973. The Supreme Court decided that killing a fetus prior to its third month of development was acceptable, but after that point only the self-interest of the mother for her own well-being should allow it to occur.

The first paragraph uses objective language. In the paragraph, you have no idea of how the writer feels about abortion. He or she is simply presenting facts about abortion without expressing an opinion or making a judgment about it.

The second paragraph conveys approximately the same information, but it uses subjective language. In the paragraph, you know exactly how the writer feels about abortion. Through choice of words, a tone of moral disapproval toward abortion is obvious in the paragraph. Words and phrases such as “taking the life”, “inhumane”, and “self-interest” all suggest that the writer is opposed to abortion.

Exercise: Read the following two ads and answer the questions.A Beginning October 4th, Huron County Bank and Trust will provi

de special accommodation hours every Thursday from 12 noon until 3:30 P.M. Heretofore---like other local bank offices---the H.C.B.&T. Parkview Office closed at noon on Thursdays. Hereafter, the drive-in and walk-up tellers’ windows will be open so that Huron customers can carry out their banking requirements from noon to 3:30 P.M.

B As an extra convenience for our customers, First National has s

pecial accommodation hours every Thursday from 12 noon to 3:30 P.M. Previously---like most suburban bank offices---First National’s Parkview Office closed at noon on Thursdays. Now, through the modern convenience of drive-in tellers’ windows, First National customers can carry out their banking from noon to 3:30 P.M.

Questions:1. Which of the two ads is the more emotive in its a

pproach?

2. From each pair of phrases, choose the one with the greater emotive appeal to readers.

A As an extra convenience. B Beginning October 4th. A Like other local bank offices. B Like most suburban bank offices. A The drive-in and walk-up tellers’ window. B The modern convenience of drive-in tellers’ windows.

Recognizing the Author’s Tone/Attitude An essay or article will inevitably involves the autho

r’s attitude/tone. Tone is defined as the attitude expressed in a piece of writing. To understand how an author uses tone, think about how you use tone in your everyday speech to show your attitude---how you feel about something. For example, you may use an indignant tone when you are defending yourself against an unjust accusation and a sarcastic tone when you thank a friend who turns up to help just as the work is finished. Writers use tone/attitude in the same way to show how they feel about a particular subject. An author’s treatment of a subject and the language the author uses reflect the author’s attitude/tone. So it may help the reader recognize the author’s attitude/tone by paying special attention to the author’s diction and way of expression.

Ex. Refer back to the two paragraphs concerning abortion and answer the following questions.

1. What is the tone of paragraph A? A. sympathetic B. humorous C. neutral D. pessimistic2. According to paragraph B, the author’s attit

ude towards abortion can be best described as _______.

A. supportive B. informative C. indifferent D. disapproving

Unit Two

The Differences Between the Eastern Culture and Western Culture

Pre-reading BrainstormingWhat are the factors accounting for the cultur

al differences between the east and west?

Major Differences Between Chinese and Western Culture West:

1. Western culture is based on individualism rather than on mass (collectivism). For instance, in the US, you always talk about individual rights, instead of placing the whole society above your own self. This is clearly different in China where a country, society or family are placed above your own self.

2. Western culture is adventurous and exploration based. Westerners like to discover new things, invention and expand outwards. For instance, bungee jumping is considered adventurous and common in western culture, but you will probably find few doing such a thing in China.

3. Western culture is based on science, which attempts to resolve people and nature's relationship.

4. West uses law to resolve people and people's relationship. You can never find 'law' well-established in China. For 2000 years, China is a land that's based on human relationship rather than law.

5. West uses 'god' and religion to resolve human and spiritualism relationship. In case of problems with your own self, you just pray to god.

6. A culture that expands and develop outwards.

Chinese Culture:

1. A culture based on masses (collectivism). People placed country and family above your own self.

2. A culture that is based on humanism and people

3. To resolve the relationship betwen man and nature, the chinese attempts to fuse the human and 'heaven' as one. ( 天人和一 )

4. To resolve people and people's relationship, chinese uses ethics and tolerance ( 中恕之道 )

5. To resolve human and spiritualism, chinese emphasizes internal cultivation ( 修身养性 )

6. A focus on balance and mean. By 'mean', it means 'middle way'. You don't go into extremism. Peace is always honoured.

7. Pay homage to heaven and earth, as well as bearing a remembrance to the homeland. ( 敬仰天地 , 思乡怀土 ) This was accorded to the fact that chinese had been a farming civilization and therefore will be more prone to remember their land.

8. A culture that expands internally rather than outwards.

Illustrations of the Cultural Differences

Comprehension Questions Read the text to find the reasons for t

he cultural differences and how differently people behave in daily life.

Finish the questions in Exercise I & II.

Post-reading Discussion As the degree of globalization is getting dee

per, Chinese culture faces the danger of being integrated and changed by other cultures. What is the right attitude we should take towards it?