Study Island Fact, Opinion, Bias, and Propaganda 1. Which word or phrase usually signals an opinion? A. too often B. the answer is C. recently D. indeed QUIT SMOKING NOW! We urge all smokers to take part in the Great American Smoke-Out next month. It is very difficult to break a bad habit. Smokers can do themselves and others a favor by joining the crowd. Smoking is extremely dangerous to one's health. Every year, 390,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and emphysema. There are also many other side effects that make smoking unpleasant. Cigarettes stain teeth and smoke leaves a film on clothes, drapes, walls and everything in the environment. Cigarette smoke smells bad! Smoking has also been found to harm the lungs of those who live or work around a smoker. But there is good news. More and more Americans are quitting. Now only 28% of Americans smoke compared with 50% of adults in the 1950s. Doctors have discovered that as soon as a smoker quits smoking, the lungs immediately start to heal themselves to different degrees. Even if someone has been smoking for more than 20 years, quitting now may minimize or end permanent damage to one's health. There are other reasons also. Cigarettes are expensive. They now cost more than $2.00 per pack. A smoker who smokes even one pack a day could save more than $700 dollars per year. Quitting smoking cigarettes will also make it easier to be involved in sports like tennis or swimming, which depend on healthy lungs. Keeping fit could be a new lease on life. There are so many good reasons to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is the best thing a person can do for himself or herself and for loved ones. Please, for the good of all, join with others in the Great American Smoke-Out next month. adapted from http://www.iearn.org/circles/lcguide/mw/mw-htext.html 2. Which sentence from the passage above is a fact? A. It is very difficult to break a bad habit. B. Now only 28% of Americans smoke compared with 50% of adults in the 1950s.
Quitting smoking is the best thing a person can do for himself or herself and for loved C. ones. D. Cigarettes are expensive. 3. Quitting smoking is the best thing a person can do for himself or herself and for loved ones. Which word from this sentence indicates an opinion? A. person B. quitting C. best D. smoking 4. Which sentence from the passage above is an opinion? A. Every year 390,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and emphysema. B. Cigarette smoke smells bad! C. More and more Americans are quitting. D. Smoking has also been found to harm the lungs of those who live or work around a smoker. 5. Which of the following statements is a fact? A. Asian martial arts movies are boring and repetitive. B. Asian martial arts movies are released worldwide because they are good. C. Asian martial arts movies are currently being made by celebrated directors like Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou. D. Asian martial arts movies are better today than they were in the 1970s. 6. Which of the following statements is a fact? A. Violent video games should be banned. B. Some people argue that playing violent video games causes aggressive behavior. C. Playing violent video games causes aggression.
D. Playing violent video games have no affect on aggression. 7. Which of the following statements is an opinion? A. Thunderstorms are more frequent around the East Gulf Coast. B. Thunderstorms are extremely frightening. C. Thunderstorms are the result of convection. D. Thunderstorms can produce tornadoes. 8. Which of the following statements is a fact? A. The Giants are the best team in the NFL. B. The Super Bowl is the best sporting event all year. C. The Giants made it all the way to the Super Bowl. D. The Giants don't deserve to be in the Super Bowl. The band department needs more support from students and faculty. For the last four years, the budgeted money for the band department has continued to shrink. If this trend continues, the band program will not be able to continue next year. We are effectively looking at the end of a 50-year-long tradition. As a current band student, I can speak with authority on the mess our department is in. We cannot afford new instruments. We cannot afford to take trips to competitions. Most of all we cannot afford to allow this to continue. I am asking that every student do what he/she can to help support the band department. The band program has provided students with scholarships, pride, and even entertainment. It is just as important as any athletic team. It represents the school just as well as any club. Be a part of something bigger than yourself. Be a better student. Be a part of the solution. If you want to uphold the spirit of our school's mascot, the Fighting Foxes, then join us! Fight and make your voice heard about the band program, so the band program can be heard by everyone. Don't allow this rich tradition to end on a sour note. 9. Identify a statement from the selection that shows propaganda. A. Be a better student. B. It is just as important as any athletic team. C. We cannot afford to take trips to competitions.
D. We cannot afford new instruments. 10. In paragraph 2, the narrator says of the band program, "As a current band student, I can speak with authority on the mess our department is in." What does this statement indicate about the narrator's beliefs? A. The narrator can only be truthful regarding the band program. B. The narrator does not know much about the band program. C. The narrator has a bias against supporting the band program. D. The narrator has a bias toward improving the band program. Answers 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. C 6. B 7. B 8. C 9. A 10. D Explanations 1. The word "too" means "more than enough; excessively." You can never prove if something is enough or excessive; therefore, something occurring "too often" cannot be proven. 2. A fact is a statement that can be proven. You could consult health books and studies to prove that the percentage of American smokers has decreased since the 1950s. 3. Adjectives like "good," "bad," "beautiful," and "ugly" almost always signal an opinion. After all, how can you prove that something is good or bad? You can't. If you can't prove something, then it is considered an opinion. In this case, "best" signals an opinion. To change it to something more factual, replace the word with "healthy," since it is a fact that quitting smoking makes one healthier. 4. An opinion is a statement than cannot be proven. You cannot prove that cigarette smoke smells bad. Some people think that cigarette smoke smells good.
5. A fact is a statement that you can check or prove with evidence (proof). This evidence can be seen, said, or written by someone but must be able to be proven true. The description that Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou are making Asian martial arts movies is a factual statement. The other statements express opinions regarding the quality of the movies. 6. A fact is a statement that you can check or prove with evidence (proof). This evidence can be seen, said, or written by someone but must be able to be proven true. The statement that some people make arguments about video games causing aggressive behavior is a fact. The rest of the statements are opinions for or against a conclusion. 7. An opinion is a statement that cannot be proven true or false. Opinions are what people believe, feel, or decide about a subject. An opinion cannot be proven as right or wrong. Some people do not find thunderstorms scary. 8. A fact is a statement that can be proven with evidence. You can prove that the Giants made it to the Super Bowl by asking people who were there or by reading a newspaper. 9. Propaganda is a technique used to influence people. This is an example of propaganda because it misleads the audience. It tells the audience that if he/she helps the band program's cause, he/she will be a better student. This just isn't so. Helping the band does not affect any student's standing. 10. A person who prefers one thing above another has a bias. As you read, you'll notice that the author of this passage can be seen as biased because he/she is directly affected by what happens to the band program. Even though he/she may be correct and what he/she says may be true, the narrator is still considered biased because of his/her connection to the issue.