In the paragraphs below you are to designate whether or not the sentence (and the idea the sentence conveys) before the blank is fact or opinion by writing “fact” or “opinion” in the spaces provided.

Question

It is believed that foreign Muslims had traded in Indonesia for many centuries. a.________________, a Muslim tombstone in eastern Java, bears a date corresponding to 1082. b.________________ But substantial evidence of Islam in Indonesia begins at the end of the 13th century. The establishment of the first Muslim centers in Indonesia was probably a result of commercial circumstances. c.________________ In the absence of a strong and stable center for the distribution of goods, foreign traders were drawn to the Bay of Bengal, distant from the dangerous pirate lairs. By the 15th century the beachheads of Islam in Indonesia had multiplied with the emergence of several harbor kingdoms, ruled by local Muslim princes. Muslim traders and teachers were probably associated with Indonesia’s kingdoms from the beginning and were bound to introduce the religious institutions that made foreign Muslims feel at home. d.________________ For the first time in Indonesian history, the possibility existed that the inhabitants of formerly peripheral regions would begin to influence the course of events. e.________________ This influence was inspired by Islam’s assertion of the equality of all believers and supported by very profitable communications with the Muslim world throughout Asia. (Network Indonesia, Internet)

Answer 1

a. Opinion b. Fact c. Opinion d. Opinion e. Opinion