McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills For A Top Score: ASVAB Reading and Math

Skill 9 Distinguish between Facts and Opinions

A very important skill for critical reading is the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, and between fact and fiction. You’ve read about Elvis sightings and about persons who say they have spoken with visitors from other galaxies. You’ve read people’s opinions on which weight loss technique you should follow. Stories and articles like these may be written as if they were absolutely true and scientifically proven. But that doesn’t mean that they are facts.

You need to be smart about what you are reading. You need to distinguish between opinions (no matter how convincingly stated) and facts. For example, “bananas cost 79 cents per pound at the local supermarket” is a fact. But “bananas ...