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Question

Difficulty: EasyDistinguishing Fact from Opinion and Bias

An excerpt from a Mexican environmental news report highlights recent agroforestry developments in Veracruz:

"In the coastal lowlands of Papantla, an agricultural collective has reintroduced traditional shade-grown vanilla cultivation across 300 hectares of secondary rainforest. According to regional agricultural ministry records, certified organic yields expanded by 25 percent between 2023 and 2025, and international export prices reached 250 dollars per kilogram last harvest season. The collective currently employs 140 local families in pollination and processing. In evaluating the cultural revitalization, lead columnist Elena Morales asserts that tending these fragrant orchids is unquestionably the most sublime and spiritually fulfilling profession in Latin America."

Which of the following statements from the report expresses a subjective opinion rather than a verifiable fact?

  1. A
    Certified organic yields expanded by 25 percent between 2023 and 2025.
  2. B
    The agricultural collective currently employs 140 local families in pollination and processing.
  3. Tending vanilla orchids is the most sublime and spiritually fulfilling profession in Latin America.Answer
  4. D
    Traditional shade-grown vanilla cultivation takes place across 300 hectares of secondary rainforest.

Answer

The statement describing tending vanilla orchids as the most sublime and spiritually fulfilling profession in Latin America expresses a subjective opinion.
The claim that tending vanilla orchids is 'the most sublime and spiritually fulfilling profession in Latin America' is a subjective assertion. It relies on emotional, qualitative judgments ('sublime', 'spiritually fulfilling') that represent the author's personal viewpoint and cannot be verified with empirical evidence or official data.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the passage to distinguish between objective data and personal value judgments.
Identified statistical records (25 percent increase, 250 dollars per kilogram, 140 families, 300 hectares) alongside a columnist's personal evaluation.
Objective facts can be proven true or false through records and data, whereas opinions reflect personal sentiments and subjective assessments.
2
Evaluate the language used in each statement to detect subjective qualifiers.
The claim regarding the 'most sublime and spiritually fulfilling profession' relies on emotional and evaluative descriptors that cannot be empirically measured.
Words like 'sublime' and 'spiritually fulfilling' express personal values and qualitative judgments rather than measurable facts.

Key Concept

Distinguishing Fact from Opinion and Bias
Estimated Time:45s
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Distinguishing Fact from Opinion and Bias

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