Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
From a guidebook, written for this example (its sentences are numbered)
Which of these sentences is an opinion?A. Sentence 1(1) The Staten Island Ferry runs between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. (2) The trip is about five miles long and takes about 25 minutes. (3) Since 1997, the ride has been free. (4) It is the best free ride in the world. (5) Every visitor to the city should take it at least once.
B. Sentence 2
C. Sentence 3
D. Sentence 4
- First, the two words, as the Skills Diagnostic defines them. A fact is a statement that can be checked and proven true or false. An opinion is a belief or a judgment, which people can disagree about.
- Now take each sentence and ask one question: could a stranger check it? You do not have to know the answer yourself. It is enough that a record, a map, a clock, or a count could settle it.
- Sentence 1 names the two ends of the ferry’s route. A map or the ferry schedule could check that. It is a fact.
- Sentence 2 gives a distance and a time. A map can measure the distance, and a clock can time the trip. It is a fact.
- Sentence 3 gives a price and a year. The city’s records show when the fare ended. It is a fact.
- Sentence 4 says the ride is “the best free ride in the world.” Best is a judgment word. No record or count could settle which ride is best; people can disagree. It is an opinion.
- Sentence 5, with its should, is an opinion too, but it is not among the choices. The question asked which of these sentences is an opinion. Watch for judgment words such as best, worst, should, unfair, and shameful.
Answer: D
Example 2
A sentence from a student’s notes, written for this example
Is this sentence a fact or an opinion?A. A fact: it can be checkedThe Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of Germany.
B. An opinion: it is a judgment
- This sentence is wrong. The statue was a gift from the people of France, and it was dedicated in 1886.
- It is tempting to say: it is wrong, so it cannot be a fact. But look again at the definition. A fact is a statement that can be checked and proven true or false.
- Can this sentence be checked? Yes. The record of who gave the statue is easy to find, and checking it is exactly how we know the sentence is wrong.
- Is there a judgment in it, a word like best or should? No. Nothing in it is a matter of taste or belief.
- So, on the test, it is a statement of fact, a false one. An opinion is not a wrong fact; an opinion is a judgment, which no record could prove true or false.
Answer: A
Where this is taught: Skills Quiz 9, Weighing evidence: First, the idea · Skills Quiz 9: the worked example · Skills Diagnostic, Part 9
In your Kaplan book: Unit 3, Chapter 1, Lesson 4: Evaluate Author's Reasoning and Evidence · Map of the Terrain, topic 9: Weighing evidence and reasoning
The drill
Ten questions
How many:
Read what is in the box first. Then tap your answer; a few questions ask you to choose words from a drop-down instead, the way the GED test does. Press Check my answers at the bottom.Read what is in the box first. Circle your answer; where there are brackets, circle the choice that fits. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.