Library › Research AI › High school students

Check the numbers in a school newspaper story against the survey

Practice: Catching mistakes and made-up facts. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You edit the school newspaper, and a reporter's story about cafeteria food quotes the student survey. Before it runs, you want every number in the draft that the survey results contradict, as numbered lines in the form "Draft says X; survey says Y". Keep it under 70 words in plain text, don't flag numbers that match, and output nothing else.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Asking for general feedback. The AI edits the writing and comments on the headline instead of checking the numbers. Try: Name the job: "List only numbers the survey contradicts."
  • Missing last year's number. The 31% is in the material, so the AI may think it's fine without noticing it's from 2025. Try: Add: "Check each number against the Fall 2026 results only."
  • Flagging everything. The AI likes to sound thorough, so it lists numbers that are correct or not in the survey at all. Try: Say: "Skip numbers that match and claims the survey doesn't cover."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands 10-20% over. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 15 words."
  • Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in the editor's chat. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Asks for contradictions only
  • Gives the line format
  • Names which survey counts
  • Sets a length limit
  • Asks for plain text

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises