How do you distinguish fact from opinion in a passage?

Prepare for the Praxis Core Skills for Educators: Reading (5713) exam. Engage with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each accompanied by hints and explanations. Boost your readiness for exam day!

The point is to tell apart statements you can prove from statements that reflect a personal view. A fact is something that can be verified with evidence—numbers, dates, sources, or observable events. An opinion is a belief or judgment about something that reflects a person’s viewpoint and isn’t verifiable in the same definitive way. For example, “The Earth orbits the Sun” can be checked and confirmed with evidence, while “This is the best movie of the year” expresses a judgment based on taste. In passages, facts tend to be backed by data or references you could check; opinions rely on personal belief, preference, or interpretation and may use words like think, believe, feel, or value judgments. Sometimes a sentence presents facts supported by evidence and then adds an opinion about what those facts mean, but the core difference remains: verifiable information versus a personal viewpoint.