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Checking claims online

8th grade (Year 9 in England) · 16 questions · Common Core: RI.8.7, W.8.8 · England: KS3 English (research and evaluating sources), GCSE English Language Paper 2

Name

Date

Score/ 16

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 1

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. visiting the motorway
    • B. a reverse image search
    • C. calling her uncle
    • D. asking a teacher

  1. Question 2

    Read the question and choose. A news story is shared today, but the article is dated four years ago. Why does this matter?

    • A. it may present old events as if they are happening now
    • B. dates are only for decoration
    • C. old articles are always false
    • D. it doesn't matter at all

  2. Question 3

    Is the proposed answer correct? You strongly agree with a post and want to share it immediately. What's the wisest move? → share it quickly before it disappears

    • A. yes, it is correct
    • B. no, it is not correct

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 4

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. a reverse image search
    • B. calling her uncle
    • C. visiting the motorway
    • D. asking a teacher

  1. Question 5

    Read the question and choose. You find a website about a health claim. You've never heard of the organisation behind it. What should you do first?

    • A. trust its 'About us' page
    • B. judge it by how professional it looks
    • C. read the whole site carefully before checking anything else
    • D. open a new tab and search for what reliable sources say about that organisation

  2. Question 6

    Is the proposed answer correct? A website's address looks almost like a famous newspaper's, but with one letter different. What should you suspect? → it is the newspaper's official backup site

    • A. yes, it is correct
    • B. no, it is not correct

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 7

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. calling her uncle
    • B. asking a teacher
    • C. visiting the motorway
    • D. a reverse image search

  1. Question 8

    Read the question and choose. Which source is usually most useful for checking a surprising claim quickly?

    • A. the account that posted it
    • B. an established fact-checking organisation or several reliable news outlets
    • C. a forum with anonymous users
    • D. the comments under the post

  2. Question 9

    Is the proposed answer correct? You find a website about a health claim. You've never heard of the organisation behind it. What should you do first? → open a new tab and search for what reliable sources say about that organisation

    • A. yes, it is correct
    • B. no, it is not correct

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 10

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. asking a teacher
    • B. a reverse image search
    • C. calling her uncle
    • D. visiting the motorway

  1. Question 11

    Read the question and choose. A dramatic photo is going viral with the caption "Flooding in our city today". How can you check it?

    • A. ask the person who shared it if it's real
    • B. count the shares
    • C. zoom in to see if it looks wet
    • D. do a reverse image search to see where and when it first appeared

  2. Question 12

    Is the proposed answer correct? A website's address looks almost like a famous newspaper's, but with one letter different. What should you suspect? → it may be an imitation site pretending to be the real one

    • A. yes, it is correct
    • B. no, it is not correct

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 13

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. visiting the motorway
    • B. calling her uncle
    • C. asking a teacher
    • D. a reverse image search

  1. Question 14

    Read the question and choose. A news story is shared today, but the article is dated four years ago. Why does this matter?

    • A. old articles are always false
    • B. it doesn't matter at all
    • C. dates are only for decoration
    • D. it may present old events as if they are happening now

  2. Question 15

    Is the proposed answer correct? You strongly agree with a post and want to share it immediately. What's the wisest move? → pause and check it, because we are less careful with claims we already agree with

    • A. yes, it is correct
    • B. no, it is not correct

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 16

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. a reverse image search
    • B. asking a teacher
    • C. visiting the motorway
    • D. calling her uncle

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  1. a reverse image search
  2. it may present old events as if they are happening now
  3. no, it is not correct
  4. a reverse image search
  5. open a new tab and search for what reliable sources say about that organisation
  6. no, it is not correct
  7. a reverse image search
  8. an established fact-checking organisation or several reliable news outlets
  9. yes, it is correct
  10. a reverse image search
  11. do a reverse image search to see where and when it first appeared
  12. yes, it is correct
  13. a reverse image search
  14. it may present old events as if they are happening now
  15. yes, it is correct
  16. a reverse image search