Distinguishing Between Facts and Opinions
As we learned in Unit 3, most reading passages contain ideas based on fact and opinion. It is very important to know when we are reading facts and when we are reading an author’s opinion. The ability to distinguish between facts and opinions can help us to achieve a deeper level of understanding in our reading.
Facts are statements that tell what really happened or what really is the case. A fact can be proved or disproved with direct evidence. It is something known by actual experience or observation. For example:
A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of college instructors during her first year on the job — even before she completed her two-year associate degree. (Para. 7, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
Opinions are statements of belief, judgement or feeling. They show what someone thinks or feels about a subject. Solid opinions, of course, are based on facts. However, opinions are still somebody’s view of something and are not facts themselves. Look at the following example:
Most of us finally have the insight that quality of life is not entirely determined by a balance sheet. (Para. 12, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
But it is not always easy to tell opinion from fact. A writer often combines the two in such a way that we do not always notice where fact ends and opinion begins. When we have a mixture of fact and opinion in a single statement, we must decide whether the main point of the sentence is essentially fact or opinion. Sometimes an opinion is presented as if it were a fact:
According to the survey based on responses from over 188,000 students, today’s college beginners are "more consumeristic and less idealistic" than at any time in the seventeen years of the poll. (Para. 4, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
The particular reading skill introduced for this unit is distinguishing between facts and opinions. The ability to distinguish between facts and opinions is important because it can help us to achieve a deeper level of understanding in our reading.
Facts are statements that tell what really happened or what really is the case. A fact can be proved or disproved with direct evidence. It is something known by actual experience or observation. Look at the following example taken from Reading Passage A:
Interest in teaching, social service and the humanities is at a low, along with ethnic and women’s studies. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. (Para. 6, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
This sentence tells us about a current state of affairs: certainly it is a statement of fact.
Opinions are statements of belief, judgment or feeling. They show what someone thinks or feels about a subject. Some words can serve as clues to statements of some kind of opinion. For example, probably, perhaps, usually, often, sometimes, and on occasion are used to limit a statement of fact and to indicate the possibility of other opinions. Other words, such as I believe, I think, in my opinion, I feel, and I suggest, say clearly that an opinion will follow. Look at the following examples:
1. It has often been remarked that the saddest thing about youth is that it is wasted on the young. (Para. 1, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
2. More importantly, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. (Para. 14, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
3. In the long run that’s what education really ought to be about. I think it can be. (Para. 17, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
4. That’s the way it should be. Oscar Wilde had it right when he said we ought to give our ability to our work but our genius to our lives. (Para. 18, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)
But it is not always easy to tell opinion from fact. A writer often combines the two in such a way that we do not always notice where fact ends and opinion begins. When we have a mixture of fact and opinion in a single statement, we must decide whether the main point of the sentence is essentially fact or opinion. Sometimes an opinion is presented as if it were a fact:
If it is a fact that the meaning of life does not dawn until middle age, is it then not the duty of educational institutions to prepare the way for the revelation? (Para. 13, Reading Passage A, Unit 8)