Fact, opinion and loaded words in writing about the past

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Sentences about the Stamp Act. Card A, sentences we wrote to practice (the facts in them are true): [1] In March 1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act. [2] It was the most unfair tax ever put on Americans. [3] It taxed newspapers, legal papers and playing cards sold in the colonies. [4] Greedy politicians in London cooked up the scheme to rob honest colonists. [5] Colonists protested, and Parliament repealed the law in March 1766. [6] Everyone in the colonies must have been furious. Card B, a summary in our words from the Library of Congress and the National Archives: Parliament passed the Stamp Act in March 1765 to raise money after the Seven Years' War. It required a tax stamp on printed paper such as newspapers, legal documents and playing cards. Colonists protested and boycotted British goods, and Parliament repealed the act in March 1766.

2. 1.

   Sentence 2 calls the Stamp Act 'the most unfair tax ever.' Why is that an opinion, Ari asks?

   • It contains no word that people could ever disagree about
   • It names a law that is not in card B
   • It has a date that no record can confirm
   • 'Most unfair' is a judgment that no record can settle
3. 2.

   What do the loaded words in sentence 4 do to a reader, Bo asks?

   • Give the reader the date of the vote so it can be checked
   • Push the reader to blame London before checking facts
   • Show that the colonists were honest and the tax a crime
   • Show that Parliament passed a tax on printed paper
4. 3.

   Which version of sentence 4 keeps its fact but drops the loaded words, Esme asks?

   • Parliament, in London, passed a tax on the colonies
   • The colonists were forced by law to read newspapers
   • Tax collectors in the colonies robbed colonists of paper
   • Brave leaders in London protected the colonies with a tax
5. 4.

   Sentence 6 says everyone in the colonies must have been furious. What is wrong with it as a claim about the past, Kira asks?

   • It gives a date for the protests that card B contradicts
   • It uses a number of protesters that cannot be checked
   • It claims to know how everyone felt, without evidence
   • It describes a law that Parliament did not actually pass
6. 5.

   Sentence 4 mixes a checkable fact with loaded words. Which fact is inside it, Luz asks?

   • The tax was a scheme to rob
   • People in London made the tax
   • The colonists were honest
   • The law was cooked up secretly

7. Use this

   Two headlines about the same law. Card C, a headline we wrote to practice: "PARLIAMENT BRAVELY PROTECTS THE COLONIES WITH NEW STAMP LAW". Card D, a headline we wrote to practice: "LONDON TYRANTS GRAB COLONISTS' MONEY WITH STAMP TAX". Card E, a summary in our words: Parliament passed the Stamp Act in March 1765. It put a tax on printed paper in the colonies.

8. 6.

   Which headline would a colonist who opposed the law be more likely to print, and which clue shows it, Noah asks?

   • Card D, because it includes the date of the law
   • Card C, because it names Parliament in capital letters
   • Card C, because 'bravely' and 'protects' attack Parliament
   • Card D, because 'tyrants' and 'grab' attack Parliament
9. 7.

   Card C says Parliament 'bravely protects' the colonies. In which direction is that wording loaded, Pia asks?

   • In favor of the colonists
   • Against Parliament
   • In favor of Parliament
   • It is not loaded, since 'protects' is a fact
10. 8.

    Which headline is closest to neutral, Ren asks?

    • Parliament Passes a Tax on Printed Paper in the Colonies
    • Parliament Boldly Taxes Defenseless Colonists' Paper Goods
    • Parliament Wisely Raises Money for the Empire's Defense
    • Colonists Stunned by Cruel Paper Tax from London
11. 9.

    A reader sees only card D. What is the risk, Tala asks?

    • Believing the headline has too many words in capitals
    • Believing the law was tyranny without the facts
    • Believing that Parliament did not pass the Stamp Act itself
    • Believing the law protected the colonies, as card D claims
12. 10.

    What does comparing cards C and D teach about reliability, Zee asks?

    • The more dramatic headline is likely the more accurate one
    • Both are wrong because they report the very same law
    • Each stresses its own side, so readers need both and facts
    • Headlines are an unreliable source for any kind of event