(1) The transcontinental railroad was completed in Utah in 1869. (2) It was the noblest work Americans ever attempted. (3) Coast-to-coast travel fell from months to about a week, so trade shifted fast. Which statement is a bare opinion?

(1) The Homestead Act of 1862 offered settlers 160 acres of public land. (2) A claim required five years of residence, so the law favored families able to wait. (3) No fairer law has ever been written. Which statement is a judgment reasoned from evidence?

(1) Lincoln was the greatest man of his century. (2) The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863. (3) It freed people only in rebelling states, so its early reach was narrow. Which statement can be checked against a record?

(1) The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in August 1920. (2) Suffragists had picketed for over two years, so the win came from long organizing. (3) That summer was America's finest hour. Which statement is a bare opinion?

(1) In December 1903 the Wright brothers flew a powered airplane at Kitty Hawk. (2) Airplanes are the best invention ever made. (3) The first flight covered only 120 feet, so its importance was easy to miss. Which is a judgment drawn from the evidence?

(1) Gold was found at Sutter's Mill in January 1848. (2) San Francisco grew to about 25,000 people by 1850, so the rush remade the region fast. (3) Miners were the bravest men in the West. Which statement is a verifiable fact?

(1) The Panama Canal opened in 1914. (2) No engineering work will ever match it. (3) Ships could skip the long trip around South America, so trade routes shifted. Which statement is an opinion the passage does not support?

(1) The Pony Express carried mail for about 18 months in 1860 and 1861. (2) Its riders were the toughest men in the country. (3) The telegraph reached California in 1861, so the riders' speed stopped mattering. Which is a judgment reasoned from evidence?

(1) Ellis Island opened as an immigration station in 1892. (2) Most arrivals were processed in a few hours, so long delays were uncommon. (3) No story matters more than immigration. Which statement is a verifiable fact?

(1) A huge dust storm swept the southern Plains on April 14, 1935. (2) Plowing had stripped the native grasses, so the storms were partly man-made. (3) Those farmers were foolish people. Which statement is a judgment based on evidence here?

(1) Most Montgomery bus riders were Black, so the boycott cut deeply into fares. (2) The boycott lasted 381 days and ended in December 1956. (3) It was the proudest moment in state history. Which statement is a bare opinion?

(1) Nothing in that century mattered more. (2) A women's rights convention met at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848. (3) Only 100 of about 300 present signed, so support was real but cautious. Which statement is a verifiable fact?

(1) A telegraph line linked Washington and Baltimore in 1844. (2) News that once moved by train now arrived in minutes, so distance mattered less to business. (3) The telegraph beat the wheel as an invention. Which statement is a reasoned judgment?

(1) The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million. (2) Russia was foolish beyond words. (3) That came to about two cents an acre, so calling the deal wasteful was weak. Which statement is a bare opinion?

(1) The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor in October 1886. (2) Small donations paid for the pedestal, so ordinary readers made it possible. (3) It is the most beautiful object on earth. Which statement can be checked in a record?

(1) The Civilian Conservation Corps was created in 1933. (2) Enrollees sent most of their pay home, so the wages helped beyond the camps. (3) It was the best program any government has run. Which statement is a judgment reasoned from evidence?

(1) Parks are worth more than any city. (2) Railroads advertised the park, so early conservation grew partly from business interest. (3) Congress made Yellowstone the first national park in 1872. Which statement is a verifiable fact?

(1) The Empire State Building opened in 1931. (2) Much of its office space sat empty for years, so it was a poor investment at first. (3) Tall buildings ruined American cities. Which statement is a judgment drawn from the evidence?

(1) The Social Security Act was signed in August 1935. (2) It was the wisest law ever passed. (3) Monthly old-age checks did not begin until 1940, so early relief was limited. Which statement is a bare opinion?

(1) The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 funded the interstate system. (2) Washington paid 90 percent of the cost, so states had strong reason to build. (3) Highways matter more than railroads ever did. Which statement is a verifiable fact?