Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

D i s t i n g u i s h i n g F a c t f r o m
O p i n i o n
When you read academic materials, very often you will
have to distinguish between fact and opinion—
between what the writer thinks and how the writer
supports what he or she thinks, between what is proven
to be true and what needs to be proved.
A good test for whether something is a fact or
opinion might be to ask yourself, “Can this statement
be debated? Is this known for certain to be true?” If you
answer 
yes
to the first question, you have an opinion; if
you answer 
yes
to the second, you have a fact.
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T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N FA C T A N D O P I N I O N
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Practice 1
Try these questions on the following statements. Read
them carefully, and then write F in the blank if the
statement is a fact and O if it is an opinion. The answers
appear right after the questions.
1.
The Academy Awards honor the film
industry.
2.
The Academy Awards are always fun to
watch.
3.
More independent films should win
Academy Awards.
4.
The Academy Awards are an annual
event.
5.
Best director is the most interesting
Academy Award category.
Answers
1.
Fact
2.
Opinion
3.
Opinion
4.
Fact
5.
Opinion
Practice 2
Now try the same exercise with a complete paragraph.
Underline the facts and use a highlighter or colored pen
to highlight the opinions. Be careful—you may find
fact and opinion together in the same sentence. When
you’ve finished, you can check your answers against the
marked passage that follows.