The Sift: Special issue: Wellness claims quiz

Nov. 25, 2024
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An educator's guide to
the week in news literacy

Hi there,

We have a special issue for this holiday week: an interactive quiz that helps students evaluate claims about wellness and other science-related topics they encounter online. Each of the eight questions includes news literacy tips and takeaways so students can apply what they’ve learned to their everyday information habits.

If you’re a longtime subscriber, you may remember past newsletter quizzes, such as the misinformation quiz or the AI quiz — both popular resources. If there are any news literacy quiz topics you’d like to see from us in the future, just hit reply and let us know! 🙂 We also wanted to share the results of last week’s newsletter poll: Should news sites have paywalls? As of Nov. 22, the most favored answer among Sift readers was: “No, news is a civic need and should be free.”

We hope you find the quiz useful and have a wonderful holiday week.

The Sift is taking next week off and will return Dec. 9.

— The Sift team

Quiz yourself on science claims

Claims about science and wellness seem to be everywhere online — whether about climate change, mental health conditions, vaccines, supplements or other health products. To avoid being influenced by misinformation, it’s important to evaluate the type of information you’re viewing and think critically about any evidence presented.

Students can take the quiz individually, in groups or as a class.

A couple of NLP resources that might be helpful to have students review ahead of the quiz, or use as references while they go through it, are our “Six zones of information” poster and our “Levels of scientific evidence” infographic.

The quiz appears below, but clicking on an answer or image will open an interactive version of it in your browser. After you complete the quiz, click “view score” to see the answers.

QUESTION 1

A screenshot of a video shows a man wearing medical scrubs indoors facing the camera and text that says, “REAL or SUS: Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks.” A teal play button is over the man’s face.

To answer the question, view the full video by clicking on this image.

Which of the following best describes this video post?

◯ It’s someone sharing their opinion.
◯ It’s an advertisement.
◯ It’s someone trying to be funny.
◯ It’s news about skincare.

QUESTION 2

A screenshot of a video of a woman sitting in her car with her head back and holding a water bottle. Text says, “My brain after taking my ADHD meds.” A teal play button is over the woman’s neck.

To answer the question, view the full video by clicking on this image.

What kind of scientific evidence is provided for the claim in this video?

◯ Expert opinion.
◯ Randomized trial.
◯ Anecdotal.
◯ Case-controlled study.

QUESTION 3

Review this X post, then answer the question below.

A screenshot of an X post says, “It’s just a way to milk more tax dollars off the American people. Climate change is a hoax.” The post also shares a meme with an illustration of a person holding an umbrella in the rain and text that says, “Climate Hoax CO2 in the atmosphere is 0.04%. Anything below 0.02% and plants start to die. Going electric will have no impact on CO2 emissions. The planet is laughing at us. It’s all about control.”

The person who posted this meme falsely claims that climate change is a hoax designed to increase taxes. How would you characterize the meme as a piece of evidence?

◯ It cites a flawed scientific study.
◯ It cites a case report.
◯ It relies on a personal anecdote.
◯ It provides no evidence.

QUESTION 4

A screenshot of a video of a woman in a blue shirt facing the camera. Text says, “What do I think about fluoride” and “So,”. A teal play button is over the woman’s face.

To answer the question, view the full video by clicking on this image.

The dentist in this video makes the bold claim that fluoride “doesn’t do enough good to outweigh the bad,” which contradicts the consensus view of medical experts and agencies. How would you describe this video?

◯ She’s giving a personal anecdote.
◯ She’s an expert giving her opinion.
◯ She’s an influencer selling hydroxyapatite.
◯ She’s sharing important scientific studies.

QUESTION 5

Review this Facebook post, then answer the question below.

A screenshot of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Flu can be especially rocky for people 65 years and older. An annual flu shot can help protect you from flu’s wildest symptoms if you do get sick. Talk to your doctor today about getting vaccinated and learn more about flu vaccination at https://bit.ly/48sM8WR.”

What distinguishes this post from those made by ordinary people who aren’t medical experts?

◯ It was posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a nonpartisan health authority.
◯ It shows how a flu that feels like a moose is worse than one that feels like a squirrel.
◯ It includes a professionally designed graphic that is visually engaging.
◯ None of the above.

QUESTION 6

A screenshot of a video of a man sitting in an airplane and wearing a hydrating skin mask. Text says, “Dermatologist tests viral Korean Face Mask using Hydration Score tool.” A teal play button is over the man’s face.

To answer the question, view the full video by clicking on this image.

What do you think this post is?

◯ An honest product review from an expert.
◯ A piece of political propaganda.
◯ An ad for face moisturizer masks.
◯ An example of clickbait.

QUESTION 7

Review this Bluesky post, then answer the question below.

A screenshot of a Bluesky post from The New York Times’ account says, “A small study found ChatGPT outdid human physicians when assessing medical case histories, even when those doctors were using a chatbot.” The post includes a link to a piece on nytimes.com with the headline “A.I. Chatbots Defeated Doctors at Diagnosing Illness.”

Which of the following best describes this post?

◯ It’s AI medical propaganda.
◯ It’s an AI advertisement for the medical field.
◯ It’s an opinion column on AI.
◯ It’s news about a study on doctors using AI.

QUESTION 8

A screenshot of a video of actor Drew Barrymore opening a box of collagen products. A teal play button is over her neck.

To answer the question, view the full video by clicking on this image.

What is an indication that this Instagram reel is an advertisement?

◯ The hashtag.
◯ The partnership label.
◯ The promotional language used.
◯ All of the above.

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Thanks for reading!

Your weekly issue of The Sift is created by Susan Minichiello (@susanmini.bsky.social), Dan Evon (@danieljevon), Peter Adams (@peteradams.bsky.social), Hannah Covington (@hannahcov.bsky.social) and Pamela Brunskill (@PamelaBrunskill). It is edited by Mary Kane (@mk6325.bsky.social) and Lourdes Venard (@lourdesvenard.bsky.social).

You’ll find teachable moments from our previous issues in the archives. Send your suggestions and success stories to [email protected].

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