DTW GED PREP

Recognizing Fact vs. Opinion in Arguments

When reading persuasive or historical texts, it’s important to tell the difference between facts and opinions.

• A fact is something that can be proven true.
• An opinion is a belief, feeling, or judgment that cannot be proven.

Some texts clearly state facts or opinions, but others mix them together. On the GED® test, you will need to spot when an author is giving personal judgment instead of evidence.

Practice Passage: Frederick Douglass and Train Segregation

Summary of the Passage
Frederick Douglass, a famous African American social reformer, refused to accept unfair treatment on trains in the 1800s. On one trip, he sat in a whites-only train car and was ordered to move. When he refused, several workers struggled to remove him. His protest caused a stir in the nearby town of Lynn, Massachusetts, where trains temporarily stopped making stops out of fear of more trouble.

Sample GED Question

Which statement from the passage is based on opinion rather than fact?

A. African Americans were given separate seating on trains.
B. Douglass refused to leave when the conductor asked.
C. Train workers had to physically remove Douglass.
D. In Lynn, people talked about nothing but the incident.

✔ Correct Answer: D
This is the author’s opinion or exaggeration. There’s no way to prove that “people talked about nothing else.” The other statements describe actual, verifiable events.

QUESTION

Directions: Read the following passages, and then answer the questions.

 PASSAGE A

 The following text is excerpted from a speech given by Patrick Henry, a delegate to the Virginia Convention in 1775, in regard to the American colonies and their relationship to Great Britain.

       Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.

       Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope.

       If we wish to be free—if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending—if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!

       They tell us, sir, that we are weak—unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

       Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.

 The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking maybe heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable—and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!

       It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, “Peace! Peace!”—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

 PASSAGE B

1773

May 10       The Tea Act

Dec. 16        The Boston Tea Party

1774

March 31                     Boston Port Act, one of the “Intolerable Acts”

May 20                      Administration of Justice Act, one of the “Intolerable Acts”

May 20                      Massachusetts Government Act, one of the “Intolerable Acts”

June 2                        Quartering Act of 1774, one of the “Intolerable Acts”

June 22                      Quebec Act, one of the “Intolerable Acts”

Sept. 5-Oct. 26          The First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia and issues Declaration and Resolves

Oct. 10                      Battle of Point Pleasant, Virginia (disputed as to whether it was a battle of the American Revolution or the culmination of Lord Dunmore’s War)

Oct. 20                      The Association (prohibition of trade with Great Britain)

Oct. 24                       Galloway’s Plan rejected

1775

March 23            Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech

Apr. 18               The rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes

Apr. 19               Minutemen and British troops clash at Lexington and Concord; “The shot heard ’round the world.”

9.   What is Patrick Henry’s main argument?

 A.   War has really already started against Great Britain.

 B.   Not enough has been done to avert war with Great Britain.

C.   The colonies have other options than to go to war with Great Britain.

 D.   The colonies are not strong enough to win a war against Great Britain.

 10.  Which rhetorical technique does Patrick Henry use in paragraph 7 of Passage A?

 A.   anecdote

 B.   alliteration

 C.   qualifying statements

 D.   repetition and parallelism

 11.  Which quotation from Passage A supports Patrick Henry’s claim that the colonies are not weak?

 A.   “Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on.”

 B.   “An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!”

 C.   “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.”

 D.   “The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”

 12.  How does the timeline in Passage B complement Patrick Henry’s speech in Passage A? It indicates

 A.   the reasons that caused each event in the timeline to take place.

 B.   the reasons that caused the American colonies to go to war with Great Britain.

 C.   how his speech caused other events that led to war.

 D.   when his speech was given in relation to other events leading to war.

ANSWERS

Passages A & B: Patrick Henry’s Speech and the Revolutionary Timeline

9. What is Patrick Henry’s main argument?
✅ Answer: A. War has really already started against Great Britain.
Explanation: He says, “The war is actually begun!” and “Why stand we here idle?” showing that he believes fighting is already happening and unavoidable.

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10. Which rhetorical technique does Patrick Henry use in paragraph 7?
✅ Answer: D. repetition and parallelism
Explanation: Henry uses repeated phrases (“we have petitioned; we have remonstrated…”), and parallel structure to build rhythm and emphasize his point.

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11. Which quotation supports Patrick Henry’s claim that the colonies are not weak?
✅ Answer: C. “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty… are invincible…”
Explanation: This directly contradicts the idea of weakness and claims strength in numbers and cause.

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12. How does the timeline in Passage B complement Henry’s speech?
✅ Answer: D. when his speech was given in relation to other events leading to war.
Explanation: The timeline helps place Henry’s speech in historical context (March 1775), just before the fighting at Lexington and Concord in April 1775.