What’s the secret revealed in the DVD? Perhaps it’s a new way of planting your feet or holding your arms when you take a shot. Or, quite possibly, there’s really nothing novel revealed in the video. If that’s true, how could someone score so many more baskets after just a single hour of training? The truth lies in the numbers that were used to arrive at the "100 percent more" figure, which means twice as many. Cindy Penny may have scored just one basket a game before she practiced the “revolutionary technique.” To score 100 percent more baskets during that all-star match, she only had to sink two shots. The claim is technically truthful, but it uses extraordinary-sounding percentages that are based on comparatively unimpressive numbers.

Question

Claim #3: “More people are coming out to cheer on student athletes in 2013. Compared to 2012, attendance at weekly basketball games is up a whopping 30%!”

5
Events that took place between 2012 and 2013 might easily explain this seemingly drastic increase in school spirit. A new community arena that holds more fans might have opened in 2013, for example. It’s possible that the old gymnasium just couldn’t pack in as many spectators. In this case, the claim isn’t an outright falsehood, but it does conveniently omit facts that could easily explain the change in attendance. A company might use a somewhat similar technique to paint an overly positive picture to potential investors. Comparing profits during a year in which sales were especially weak to the most recent year’s profits could make it appear as though the company is experiencing tremendous growth. In reality, though, sales may only be up slightly—or not at all—compared to a typical year.

6
With a little know-how, people can avoid being swindled by statistics. Always look at the context in which numbers are being used and consider whether important information is being left out. Claims might not actually be as remarkable as they seem at first glance. Consider the purpose of statistics. Are they being used to convince people to buy something, do something, or think a certain way? If so, view them with a healthy dose of skepticism. They might not be telling the whole truth.

Multiple Choice Question
Read this sentence from paragraph 3.

While this is a reasonable conclusion to make after reading the claim, it may be totally wrong.

How does the author support this statement?

A.
by comparing the number of basketball teams in Evergreen and South Pines

B.
by explaining that Evergreen has more basketball courts than South Pines

C.
by stating that Evergreen students are more athletic than South Pines students

D.
by showing that Evergreen has a much larger student population than South Pines

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

D. by showing that Evergreen has a much larger student population than South Pines

The author supports the statement regarding the potentially misleading nature of the claim by providing context about the size of the student populations, which could explain any differences in attendance or performance without concluding that the claim itself is definitively true.