To distinguish facts from opinions as you read a book, newspaper, or magazine article, look for statements that you can check. Statements that use should, the most important, the best, or the most interesting are often opinions. Read the following passage. Then identify each numbered sentence as either fact (F) or opinion (O).
Theodore Roosevelt
(1) Theodore Roosevelt was elected vice president in November 1900, when William McKinley was elected president. (2) When McKinley was assassinated less than one year later, Roosevelt became president. (3) Americans were saddened by McKinley’s death, but everyone knew that Roosevelt would make a better president. (4) Roosevelt was given the name “trustbuster” because his Justice Department broke up large corporations that he believed acted against the public good. (5) Roosevelt’s trustbusting actions were a positive development. (6) Roosevelt was an active president in other areas, too. (7) He used the power of the federal government to force coal mine owners to negotiate with striking miners. (8) Roosevelt also took many important actions to conserve natural resources. (9) For example, Roosevelt’s administration created the nation’s first wildlife sanctuaries. (10) Theodore Roosevelt was the 20th century’s most important environmental president.
| Fact | Opinion |
| Theodore Roosevelt was elected vice president in November 1900, when William McKinley was elected president. | Americans were saddened by McKinley’s death, but everyone knew that Roosevelt would make a better president. |
| When McKinley was assassinated less than one year later, Roosevelt became president. | Roosevelt’s trustbusting actions were a positive development. |
| Roosevelt was given the name “trustbuster” because his Justice Department broke up large corporations that he believed acted against the public good. | Roosevelt was an active president in other areas, too. |
| He used the power of the federal government to force coal mine owners to negotiate with striking miners. | Roosevelt also took many important actions to conserve natural resources. |
| For example, Roosevelt’s administration created the nation’s first wildlife sanctuaries. | Theodore Roosevelt was the 20th century’s most important environmental president. |
