Fact, opinion and news

Here is the first part of an article from the BBC's news website. Look at how the article starts out using facts, then moves on to using opinions. The facts are highlighted in bold and the opinions are in italics.

The facts are taken from a survey which can be verified. The opinions are taken from comments made by various people such as journalists and writers. They express the viewpoint of that particular person.

Look at the sentences that are not in bold (facts) or italics (opinion). Are they fact or opinion?

Indians "world's biggest readers"

Indians are the world's biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a new survey.

The NOP World Culture Score index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005.

Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures.

Britons and Americans scored 50% lower than the Indians' hours and Japanese and Koreans were even lower at 4.1 and 3.1 hours respectively.

R Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords Bookstores, a chain of 26 book shops around India, says Indians are extremely entrepreneurial and reading "is a fundamental part of their being".

This is an opinion: It is R Sriram's point of view but it is not backed up by evidence. Did he ask a sample of readers from India if they felt reading is a "fundamental part of their being?"

The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw China and the Philippines take second and third place respectively in average hours a week spent reading books, newspapers and magazines.