. Identify which of the following statements is a fact and which is an opinion.

A. The population of Latin America includes 589 Indian tribes.

Fact    Opinion   

B. A credit card is a good way for college students to pay bills.

Fact    Opinion   

C. The new ACT test takes two hours and thirty minutes to complete.

Fact    Opinion   

D. A blackhead is the oxidized oil in an open sore.
Fact    Opinion   

E. Women now have equal status with men.

Fact    Opinion   

2. List three facts that you could use to support each opinion.

A. College costs too much.

B. DWI penalties should be harsher.

C. The customer is always right.

D. Sex education should be taught in public schools.

3. Take both sides of the issue. What would you tell these groups to convince them to support or to oppose legislation banning assault rifles?

Police:

Parents:

Child:

Hunter:

Shooting Victim:

4. Write a persuasive paragraph that is overly emotional. Start with a valid topic sentence about some type of behavior you think should be changed. As you appeal to the emotions of the audience, exaggerate your feelings and opinions.

5. Write a second version of your persuasive paragraph, using only appeals to logic.

6. Analyze the following topic sentences. For each one, answer these two questions:

• What is the issue?
• What is the writer's attitude or opinion about it?

• An artificial Christmas tree ruins the spirit of Christmas.
  
  
  
  
  
• Business owners are slave drivers interested only in profit.
  
  
  
  
  
• College instructors are slave drivers out to ruin their students' social lives.
  
  
  
  
  
• Inflation is lurking around the corner.
  
  
  
  
  
• People act out unrealistic fantasies by wtaching TV sports.
  
  
  
  
  
• Elive is alive.
  
  
  
  
  

7. Write topic sentences that state clear, strong opinions on the following subjects:

• drugs
  
  
  
  
• legalizing marijuana
  
  
  
  
• mandatory school prayer
  
  
  
  
• penalties for late essays
  
  
  
  

8. Write a thesis for a persuasive essay about each of the following topics:

• taxes
  
  
  
  
• computer skills
  
  
  
  
• capital punishment
  
  
  
  

9. Write an introductory paragraph leading into one of the thesis staements you developed in Exercise 8.

10. Check the following sentences for relevance to the thesis. Think of topic sentences you might use to replace the irrelevant ones.

Thesis: Local businesses should contribute to this community.

• A stronger community is better for business.
  
  
  
  
• Companies that profit from the community should give something in return.
  
  
  
  
• Businesses hould help civic groups with fund-raising by contributing cash.
  
  
  
  
• People should boycott businesses that do not make contributions to the community.
  
  
  
  
• The stores in this community are not worth going to anyway.
  
  
  
  
• I hate the hicks in this town.
  
  
  
  

11. Write an introduction and a conclusion for the essay on anger outlined below.

Topic Sentences:
• Anger can interfere with solving the immediate problem that caused the anger in the first place.
• Intense anger can quickly lead to physical problems.
• Unresolved anger can cause long-term depression.
• Acting out of anger can result in long-term jail sentences.