Welcome to the Unit 8 Seminar for KU 120! Fact vs. Opinion

Week’s Assignments Discussion Board Posts Seminar KU 085 Activities- Critical Thinking Test Complete Math Placement Exam Read Chapter Nine in textbook

Key Concepts Fact –- Something that exists and can be verified that has happened; an objective piece of information. For example, this statement is factual: “The temperature outside is 45 degrees Fahrenheit” because it can be verified by a thermometer. Opinion –- A personal feeling or view about a situation; a subjective piece of information. For example: “It feels cold outside” is an opinion that is dependent upon the speaker’s point of view. Someone from a tropical area like Hawaii may think that temperatures below 60 degree Fahrenheit are cooler, but a person from Alaska may have a different perspective and think that “cold” is anything below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Objective –- Information not based on emotion or bias. Subjective –- Influenced or based on a person’s feelings or thoughts.

Facts… 1. Can be verified for accuracy. 2. Rely on denotative language. 3. Are not shaped or affected by a writer’s personality, background, or training. 4. Frequently use numbers, statistics, dates, and measurements. 5. Name and describe but do not evaluate.

Opinions… 1. Cannot be verified for accuracy. 2. Can be labeled valid or invalid, sound or unsound, informed or uninformed depending on amount of support offered. 3. Rely on connotative language. 4. Are affected by the writer’s personality, background, and training. 5. Frequently express comparisons. 6. Often make value judgments. 7. Are often introduced by words such as “appears, seems, apparently, probably, etc.

Facts and Opinions A fact is a specific detail that can be proven as true based on objective evidence. An opinion is a feeling, judgment, belief, or conclusion that cannot be proven true by objective evidence. Objective proof can be one or more of the following: physical evidence, an eyewitness account, or the result of an accepted scientific method.

Separating Fact from Opinion Know the traits of facts and opinions. Fact: Spinach is a source of iron. Opinion: Spinach tastes awful.

Facts and Opinions Opinion Objective Subjective States reality Can be verified Presented with unbiased words “Spinach is a form of iron.” Opinion Subjective Interprets reality Can NOT be verified Presented with value words “Spinach tastes awful.”

Fact or Opinion? 1. Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879. 2. Physicians are notoriously scornful of scientists from other fields. 3. Moenia is the best alternative rock group ever to come out of Mexico.

Fact or Opinion? __A spinning class is a group exercise program of about 45 minutes riding on a stationary bike. __A spinning class is a form of torture.

Fact or Opinion? F A spinning class is a group exercise program of about 45 minutes riding on a stationary bike. (Can be verified by going to a class.) O A spinning class is a form of torture. (Some people may enjoy the class.)

Fact or Opinion? 4. Politicians too often base their positions on polls rather than on the public good. 5. Comedian Lenny Bruce dies of a morphine overdose in 1966. 6. The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Miller v. California resulted in a method for testing obscenity.

Biased Words awful amazing better best bad beautiful believe disgusting exciting favorite frightful fun horrible miserable never probably think smart

Example: “In point of fact, computers make life miserable.” Explanation: “Miserable” makes this a general opinion.

Example: “The great grasslands of the West should not have been plowed under for crops.” Explanation: The grasslands were plowed under, but whether or not they “should not have been” is a matter of opinion.

Note Qualifiers to Identify Opinions Beware of false facts, or statements presented as facts that are actually untrue. A qualifier may express an absolute, unwavering opinion using words like always or never.

Mixing Fact and Opinion Often, you will find facts mixed with opinions. Example: “In 1985, Tommy “Muskrat” Green ate six pounds of oysters in one minute and thirty-three seconds. That’s sick.”

Fact, Opinion, or Mixed? 1. Measles have an incubation period of seven to fourteen days. 2. Within twenty years, online colleges will replace brick-and-mortar ones. 3. The tragic battle of the Alamo, where frontier hero Davy Crockett died, began on February 23, 1836.

Fact, Opinion, or Mixed? 4. It’s a Wonderful Life, probably the corniest movie ever made, first appeared in 1946, and it wasn’t a particularly popular film until it turned up on television. 5. Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas who died in 2006 at age 73, broke through the gender barriers that had kept Texas women out of high political office.

Fact, Opinion, or Mixed? 6. A new species of land mammal has been discovered in the forests of Vietnam. 7. The Japanese mushrooms called maitake sometimes grow as big as footballs. 8. The Food and Drug Administration should more carefully control the way drug makers advertise their products.

Fact, Opinion, or Mixed? 9. Today’s parents don’t spend enough time with their children. 10. Today there are 3.3 workers supporting every Social Security recipient. 11. Adopted children should be allowed to know who their parents are.

Fact, Opinion, or Mixed? 12. Mexican leader Benito Juarez is a heroic figure in Mexican history. 13. Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii. 14. The most oft-quoted and best-loved play around the world is Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Evaluate the Context of the Passage Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military leaders in world history. He was born in Pella, Macedonia. The exact date of his birth was probably July 20 or 26, 356 B.C. Shortly before his 33rd birthday, Alexander the Great died. The cause of his death remains unknown. Is each statement a fact, opinion, or fact/opinion both?

Evaluate the Context of the Passage F/O His name and title are factual, but the value word greatest is an opinion. F This statement can be verified in historical records. O The word probably makes this a statement of opinion. F This statement can be checked and verified as true. F This is a factual statement that something isn’t known. Is each statement a fact, opinion, or fact/opinion both?

Evaluate the Context of the Author An informed opinion is developed by gathering and analyzing evidence. An expert opinion is developed through much training and extensive knowledge in a given field.

Examples: Informed opinion: Expert opinion: Shopping around for a car Researching an essay for a college class Expert opinion: Doctor’s diagnosis of an illness Economics professor’s lecture on the economy

Evaluate the Context of the Source Examples of good factual sources: Medical dictionary English handbook World Atlas

Chapter Review An expert opinion is developed through much training and extensive knowledge in a given field. A fact states reality. An opinion interprets reality. A fact uses unbiased words. An opinion uses biased words.

Patterns of Organization – Final Review What do you remember about each. A. Definition/Example B. Time order C. Space Order D. Comparison and contrast E. Cause and effect F. Classification