Fact vs. Opinion

An Interactive Exercise

Fact Vs.Opinion

Fact: an actual thing that exists and is provable, observable, measurable.

Look for signal words:

Numbers, statistics, verified, documented, eyewitness, record, prove, photographs.

FACT ARE CERTAINTIES

FACT • My mom’s new car gets 35 miles per

gallon in the city and 45 miles per gallon on the interstate.

• Last night, we took a photograph to prove that raccoons have been raiding our garbage cans.

• A 6ft mountain lion was shot and killed in Des Moines last year.

Opinions• A personal judgment or belief that is

not founded in proof or certainty.

• Look for signal words:

Good/bad, might, should, believe, think, always, never, guess, interpretation, point of view. Loaded words w/emotion.

Opinions are DISPUTABLE;ARGUABLE

Opinions• My dad thinks we should get a

compact car because we might get better gas mileage.

• Although raccoons are cute, Mom believes they are a menace and should be taken to a wildlife sanctuary.

• Mountain lions are beastly animals that can grow to 6ft tall.

Directions:• Each slide contains a statement. Read the statement

carefully, then click on either the fact or opinion button at the bottom of the slide.

• Once you select your response, you will see a slide informing you whether or not your response is correct.

• Use the back button to proceed to the next question and continue this same process for all questions.

Good Luck!

Question #1

Abraham Lincoln was the greatest president.

Fact Opinion

Question #2

Marilyn Monroe was a movie actress.

Fact Opinion

Question #3

Tiger Woods is the best golfer who ever played the game.

OpinionFact

Question #4

Tiger Woods was the first African American to win the Masters Golf Tournament.

Fact Opinion

Question #5

Dale Earnhardt died in a NASCAR race crash.

Fact Opinion

Question #6

All Rap lyrics are offensive.

Fact Opinion

Question #7

Charles Lindbergh was brave to attempt to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Fact Opinion

Response #1: Incorrect

Although Abraham Lincoln was a president, whether or not he was the greatest president is an opinion.

Response #1: Correct!

Although Abraham Lincoln was a president, it is an opinion that he was the greatest one.

Response #2: Correct!

Marilyn Monroe was in 29 movies. Since she acted in those movies, that is a fact.

Response #2: Incorrect! Marilyn Monroe was in 29 movies. This is a fact, not an opinion.

Although Tiger Woods has won many golf titles, whether he is the greatest golfer is an opinion. It can be debated based on the amount of titles he has won, but even this might not be the only basis for evaluating him as the greatest.

Response #3: Incorrect

Response #3: Correct!

Although Tiger Woods has won many golf titles, calling him the greatest is an opinion. It is a topic open to debate.

Response #4: Correct!

In the history of the Masters Tournament, this is a fact. Tiger Woods was the first African American to win the Masters.

Response #4: Incorrect!

Since no African American had ever won the Masters before Tiger Woods did, this is not an opinion, but a fact.

Response #5: Incorrect!

Dale Earnhardt died on February 18, 2001 as a result of a crash during the 2001 Daytona NASCAR race. This is a fact, not an opinion.

Response #5: Correct!

Dale Earnhardt died on February 18, 2001 as a result of a crash during the 2001 Daytona NASCAR race. This is a fact.

Response #6: Incorrect!

Although Rap lyrics often contain questionable language, whether they are offensive or not is an opinion, not a fact.

Response #6: Correct!

Although Rap lyrics often contain “bad” or questionable language, whether this makes them offensive or not is an opinion.

Response #7: Incorrect!

Many people thought Lindbergh’s attempt to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean was foolhardy rather than brave. Although he was successful, calling him brave is a value judgment and an opinion rather than a fact.

Response #7: Correct!

Many people thought Lindbergh’s idea was foolhardy rather than brave. Calling this a brave act may be considered a reasonable argument, but it is not a fact.

Nice work!

If time remains, you may want to try more practice with fact and opinion using the following websites:

•Fact or Opinion?•Fact or Opinion? Game #1 Quiz•Tutorial: Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion