Exercise 18

Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion

Directions:

    In each of the following sentences, type in the subject and the verb of each main clause in the spaces provided.

    Type in the controlling idea if there is one.

    Look up any words that are unfamiliar to you.

    Select F if the statement is a Fact.

    Select O if it is an Opinion.

1. The banana plant rises forty feet in height from its base to its crown.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

2. This tropical plant once played a significant role in religious history.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

3. In the Koran, it is known as the "Tree of Paradise."
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

4. According to one historian, Adam and Eve covered their bodies with leaves from this "Tree" in order to hide their nakedness from God.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

5. In the sacred book of Islam, the banana is called the "apple of paradise."
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

6. During the Middle Ages, artists mistakenly confused the red apple with the fruit from the banana plant that was offered by Eve for Adam to eat.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

7. In today's world, there are more than 300 unusual varieties of bananas.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

8. Bananas grown in Iceland are carefully nurtured in greenhouses where they are heated by water rising up from a volcano's underground springs.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

9. The trunk of the banana plant is made up of layers of tightly compressed leaves.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

10. The stem of this herb has large roots, thirty yards in length, that lie below the surface of the ground.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

11. After a nine to twelve month period of time that is needed for the plant to mature, a purple-red flower bud sets the stage for the plant's unique process of bearing fruit.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

12. As bananas form on a stalk, the large blossom opens downward with its petals facing the ground.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

13. The dark purple blossom is considered to be an edible treat by those who relish its soft texture and its bittersweet taste.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

14. Banana flowers are sometimes pickled or boiled in coconut milk for those who like to eat them.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

15. If they are not eaten, the flowers become a "bunch" of bananas.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

16. Each row of the edible fruit is referred to as a "hand" whereas a single fruit is called a "finger."
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

17. A bunch of bananas is ripe when several unusual color features are noted.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

18. When individual fingers of fruit are light green and rounded corners have replaced sharp points, the bunch of bananas should be picked and hung upside down in a cool dark area while the fruit continues to ripen.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

19. It is necessary to take great care to avoid getting sap from the trunk or leaves of the banana plant on articles of clothing.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

20. The indelible dye, once used by Hawaiians of old, makes permanent stains that cannot be removed.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

21. A single bunch of bananas can produce an enormous amount of edible fruit.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

22. As many as 200 bananas weighing 70 to 80 pounds can be harvested from a bunch of bananas.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

23. The banana plant produces just one bunch of fruit and is cut down after the bananas are picked.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

24. It will then be up to the keiki, or children, to produce a new plant from shoots put out from its underground stem.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion

25. The banana plant bears fruit with its extraordinary regenerating process for as many as 60 years.
Subject:
Verb:
Controlling Idea:
F. Fact
O. Opinion