Question

the movement of the progress bar may be uneven because questions can be worth more or less (including zero) depending on your answer.
read this excerpt from a passage.
how did we reach this breaking point? one cause of overfishing has been a cavalier attitude toward the earth’s oceans. fishers and fishing fleets saw oceans full of fish and concluded that the oceans were inexhaustible. they treated the oceans as if their actions would have no future consequences. take as many fish as you want; throw out or kill what you do not want; do whatever harm you want: these attitudes have all too often ruled the seas. currently, only 1.6% of our oceans are protected through international agreements; no fishing is allowed within these areas. fishing is regulated in approximately one - third of the earth’s seas, under national or international laws. however, the vast majority of our planet’s waters are an unprotected free - for - all.
which of these sentences is an opinion disguised as a fact?
currently, only 1.6% of our oceans are protected through international agreements; no fishing is allowed within these areas.
how did we reach this breaking point?
fishing is regulated in approximately one - third of the earth’s seas, under national or international laws.
fishers and fishing fleets saw oceans full of fish and concluded that the oceans were inexhaustible.

Explanation:

To determine the opinion disguised as fact, we analyze each option:

• The first option presents a statistic (1.6% of oceans protected) and a rule (no fishing in those areas), which are verifiable facts.
• The second is a question, not a statement of fact or opinion.
• The third option states a verifiable fact about fishing regulation in one - third of seas.
• The fourth option: The claim that "oceans were inexhaustible" is an opinion (a belief about the oceans' nature) presented as if it were a fact (derived from fishers' conclusion). Oceans are not actually inexhaustible, so this is an opinion disguised as a fact.

Answer:

Fishers and fishing fleets saw oceans full of fish and concluded that the oceans were inexhaustible.