Question

in midnight assassin, patricia bryan and thomas wolf write, \hossack and his wife, margaret, had nine children, including five, ranging in age from thirteen to twenty - six, who were in the house at the time of the assault.\ is this a fact or an opinion? how can you tell?
it is an opinion, because the authors have no way of knowing who was in the house when hossack was assaulted.
it is an opinion, because the authors are imagining the scene in order to make the events more vivid for the reader.
it is a fact, because the ages and locations of the hossack children can be verified by primary source documents or eyewitness accounts from the time of the murder.
it is a fact, because secondary sources contain only facts, never opinions.

Explanation:

• Option A is wrong: Authors can know who was in the house via records/eyewitness.
• Option B is wrong: The statement is not an imagined scene but can be verified.
• Option C is correct: Facts are verifiable; ages/locations of children can be checked via primary sources/eyewitness accounts.
• Option D is wrong: Secondary sources can have opinions, not just facts.

Answer:

C. It is a fact, because the ages and locations of the Hossack children can be verified by primary source documents or eyewitness accounts from the time of the murder.