Tutorial:
Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion

Copyright © 2000 Laraine Flemming.
General distribution outside the classroom and redistribution are strictly prohibited.

Directions: Hit the appropriate button to indicate if the following statements are either fact, opinion, or a blend of both.

1. In 1787, the British Government sent a fleet of convicts to colonize Australia.

2. America’s treatment of the homeless is a disgrace.

3. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris divided France’s North American Empire between Britain and Spain.

4. Poetry and politics just don’t mix.

5. Because of a newly formed and largely incompetent national weather service, the city of Galveston, Texas was practically destroyed in a horrifying hurricane that left thousands dead.

6. In 1852, the President of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was greedy to expand U.S. influence, and he formally offered to buy the island of Cuba.

7. On July 2, 1822, the brilliant ex-slave and rebel leader Denmark Vesey was captured by South Carolina authorities, who had discovered Vesey’s planned rebellion and were determined to hunt him down.

8. Writer and researcher Rachel Carson will always be remembered as the mother of modern ecology.

9. Between 1945 and 1960, the number of cars in the United States increased by 133 percent.

10. Those opposed to government spending conveniently forget how much the GI Bill—a program that allotted billions of dollars to help veterans of World War Two—helped expand America’s postwar economy.

Last change made to this page: Febuary 13, 2000