You've probably read, seen, or heard some version of the Cinderella story. It's one of the most popular fairy tales in the world, and many different cultures have a version of the story, though the main character in some of these stories isn't named Cinderella. Suppose you read this claim about the American version of the story:
In the story of Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother and glass slipper exist only in Cinderella's imagination.
Would you accept this statement at face value? Probably not. You would need to know which text supports the idea presented. (Which version was that?!) You may even want to see exactly which sentences suggest that Cinderella imagined her ordeal, so you can better understand why the writer would make such a claim.
Suppose the Cinderella skeptic presented this text from the story:
Cinderella looked up. There, in the doorway, where nothing had been a moment before, there stood a beautiful fairy.
Would you be convinced of the writer's claim? Does this text support the idea that Cinderella imagines her Fairy Godmother? If you read the text carefully, you can see that it neither supports or contradicts the writer's claim. Nowhere does the text say that the Fairy Godmother is real--or imaginary. The writer has not selected text that fully supports his analysis. To make the claim more believable, he would need to provide additional evidence and explain how this text helps prove his point.
Suppose you read the story below in a news magazine, shortly after a small Russian town was struck by a meteorite. What would you make of the evidence in this text? Read (or re-read) the article. Then decide which claim would be adequately supported by each piece of evidence.
What claim does this evidence support? "One witness tweeted, 'I thought it was a UFO.'"
- Some people believed they had seen a UFO.
- Local residents had many ideas about what had fallen from the sky.
- A UFO had fallen from the sky.
- UFOs were often seen in the skies above this Russian city.
Pay special attention to the words "one witness" and "thought."
Pay special attention to the words "one witness" and "thought."
Pay special attention to the words "one witness" and "thought."
Pay special attention to the words "one witness" and "thought."
What claim does this evidence support? "Initially, scientists estimated that the meteor was about 50 feet wide and sparked a blast equal to a 300-kiloton explosion."
- The meteor was about 50 feet wide.
- At first, scientists underestimated the meteor's impact.
- The blast was equal to a 300-kiloton explosion.
- Local people witnessed the explosion of a 50 foot meteor.
Notice the words "initially" and "estimated," which suggest that the initial ideas were later revised.
Notice the words "initially" and "estimated," which suggest that the initial ideas were later revised.
Notice the words "initially" and "estimated," which suggest that the initial ideas were later revised.
Notice the words "initially" and "estimated," which suggest that the initial ideas were later revised.
What claim does this evidence support? "According to NASA, the event was the largest meteor strike to be reported since 1908, when a meteor hit Tunguska, Siberia..."
- This was the largest meteor to hit the Earth since 1908.
- This was the second meteor strike in Russia.
- An equally larger meteor struck the earth back in 1908.
- This was one of the largest meteors to ever strike the Earth.
NASA's statement indicates there have been other meteorite strikes.
NASA's statement indicates there have been other meteorite strikes.
NASA's statement indicates there have been other meteorite strikes.
NASA's statement indicates there have been other meteorite strikes.
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
To Russia, with Love and Space Rocks
It’s a bird, it’s a plane--no, wait, it’s a...meteor? Recently in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, locals saw a large object stream across the sky, burst into flames, break apart, and fall to the ground. A black cloud hung above their town, and witnesses said they smelled something like gunpowder.
What really happened on the morning of Friday, February 15? A meteor exploded, injuring more than a thousand people and blowing out thousands of windows with its horrific force. The meteorite, which took 32.5 seconds to disintegrate, unmasked a blast more brilliant than the sun, and created a sonic boom that rocked the earth’s surface for miles.
Reaction to the Event
Within minutes of the event, all kinds of theories began to circulate in and around Chelyabinsk, as its citizens tried to understand what had happened. Some said an object had been shot down by Russian air defense missiles to prevent further destruction. Others believed that a satellite had fallen, or some kind of weapon had been aimed at Russia. Still another theory: The sonic booms and flashes of light were the result of a top-secret U.S. weapons test. Some press officials wrongly reported that there had been a meteor shower predicted for that day. Witnesses said the boom was so loud that it sounded like an earthquake during a thunderstorm. Others reported seeing burning objects falling out of the sky. One witness tweeted, “I thought it was a UFO.”
Initially, scientists estimated that the meteor was about 50 feet wide and sparked a blast equal to a 300-kiloton explosion. Later the estimated force was increased to that of a 470-kiloton explosion. Russia’s space rock also turned out to be more massive than was originally thought. Instead of 10 tons, it weighed about 10,000 tons and was traveling 40,000 mph upon explosion. The new estimates were generated after data had been collected by five additional infrasound stations across the globe.
As soon as the source of the impact had been identified, the question on many people’s minds was Is this a first—or has something like this happened before? According to NASA, the event was the largest meteor strike to be reported since 1908, when a meteor hit Tunguska, Siberia, and flattened an estimated 80 million trees. NASA emphasized that the Russian meteorite should not be confused with the asteroid 2012 DA14, which happened to be traveling near the earth but in the opposite direction when the meteor hit.
Meteor versus Meteorite
These two terms are often used interchangeably, so you may wonder how a meteor differs from a meteorite. Meteors are pieces of space rock, usually fragments of larger comets or asteroids, which enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Many are burned up by friction and heat, but those that survive and strike the Earth are called meteorites. Experts say that meteorites actually strike the ground five to ten times each year. Really huge ones like the one in Russia are much rarer, and they usually fall over uninhabited regions. We don’t hear about those meteorites, though, because they don’t cause any property damage or injuries.
For witnesses who were not too traumatized by the meteorite, the event became a way to make some extra money—meteorite fragments could be sold online for a starting price of $15.
