Question

Read the paragraph.

Alisha is writing a research paper about the effects of driving cars on the environment. She found statistics about cars and air pollution from a group called Save the Planet on its website www.savetheplanet.org. In addition to the information about air pollution, Alisha also saw statements such as “Save the planet, ride a bike” and “Mother Nature wants you to carpool.”

Which statement is the best evaluation of the website’s credibility?

The website is definitely not credible because it is pushing an opinion and Alisha should not use any information from it.
The website might be credible even though it expresses an opinion, and Alisha should check other reliable sources to verify the information before deciding whether or not to use it.
The website is definitely credible because it states proven facts about pollution, and Alisha should not worry about using information from this source.
The website is probably not credible because it is a .org website and .org websites are not credible sources of information, so Alisha should not use any information from it.

Answer 1

The second statement is best: the site might be credible even though it expresses an opinion, and Alisha should check other reliable sources to verify the information before deciding whether or not to use it.

Reason: advocacy language signals potential bias, but the site can still contain accurate data. Verify claims by checking author credentials, citations, and independent, reputable sources before using the information.