← Read the News Well · Lesson 4 of 4
Keeping a number in proportion
"Cases doubled" sounds alarming. Doubled from 2 to 4 is very different from 2,000 to 4,000. A change only means something next to the starting number.
The same goes for big totals. A city spending a million on something sounds like a lot; whether it is depends on the whole budget and how many people it serves.
Two useful questions: compared with what? And out of how many? Asking them turns a scary-sounding figure into something you can judge.
A report says complaints about a bus route "rose by 50%". What do you most need to know?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.