Opinion or Fact Practice

Review the lesson for Opinion or Fact Help.

Opinion or Fact Practice

Practice Exercise: Opinion or Fact?

Read the following statements carefully. Which of the following are facts? Opinions? Write an F in the blank if the statement is a fact and an O if it is an opinion.

1. People who have been out of school and in the workforce for several years make better students.
2. More people than ever before are working for a few years before they go to college.
3. Many companies provide tuition reimbursement for adults returning to school for college degrees.
4. Most companies don't provide enough tuition reimbursement for their employees.
5. At Hornig Steelworks, you won't get reimbursed unless you earn at least a C in any course you take.

Practice Exercise: Turning a Fact into an Opinion

To strengthen your ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, try turning a fact into an opinion. Here's a fact:

Americans pay federal, state, and local taxes.

An opinion is something debatable. Here are two opinions based on this fact:

Americans pay too much in taxes.

Americans should pay taxes only if they make over $40,000.

Now you try it.

6. Fact: Texting causes accidents.

Opinion:

7. Fact: You can vote and go to war at age 18, but you can't legally drink alcohol until you're 21.

Opinion:

8. Fact: E-mail and other technologies are making it possible for more people to work from home than ever before.

Opinion:

9. Fact: Most college students are required to take some liberal arts and science courses, no matter what their majors.

Opinion:

Practice Exercise: Facts, Opinions, or Tentative Truths

Determine whether the following claims are facts (F), opinions (O), or claims that you should accept as tentative truths (TT):

12. An increasing number of television shows can be accessed on the Internet.
13. The quality of some of the episodes varies depending on the strength of your computer.
14. Some of the shows you can watch aren't very good, but the selection grows daily.

Practice Exercise: Reading

15. Read the following paragraphs carefully. Highlight the facts and underline the opinions.

Paragraph A:

There are lots of different ways to invest your money. Many people invest in stocks and bonds, but I think good old-fashioned savings accounts and CDs (certificates of deposit) are the best way to invest your hard-earned money. Stocks and bonds are often risky, and it doesn't make sense to gamble with your hard-earned money. True, regular savings accounts and CDs can't make you a millionaire overnight or provide the high returns some stock investments do. But unless you're an expert, it's hard to know which stocks will provide you with that kind of return. Besides, savings accounts and CDs are fully insured and provide steady, secure interest on your money. That makes a whole lot of cents.

Paragraph B:

Many folks are scared of the stock market—but they shouldn't be. True, the stock market is risky, but the gamble is worth it. Besides, playing it safe requires too much patience. The stock market is by far the best option for today's investors.

16. Now that you've distinguished fact from opinion in these paragraphs, which paragraph should you take more seriously when deciding what to do with your uncle's inheritance? Write your answer on a separate piece of paper.