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Difficulty: MediumEvaluating the Degree of Commitment or Certainty

Read the following excerpt:

'The recent discovery of the *Auroraceratops* fossils in the Gobi Desert has led some paleontologists to confidently assert that this species was primarily bipedal. However, a meticulous analysis of the forelimb bone density tentatively suggests an alternative: while capable of bipedal locomotion during short bursts of speed, the animal likely spent the majority of its time foraging on all fours. Therefore, the hypothesis that *Auroraceratops* was strictly bipedal is almost certainly incorrect.'

Evaluate the following statement: The author demonstrates a higher degree of certainty in rejecting the strict bipedalism hypothesis than in affirming the specific proportion of time the animal spent foraging on all fours.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True
The correct answer is True because the passage explicitly contrasts a highly confident rejection ('almost certainly incorrect') with a more cautious endorsement of an alternative ('tentatively suggests', 'likely'). This confirms the author is more certain about what the dinosaur did not do than exactly what it did do.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the author's level of certainty regarding the rejection of the strict bipedalism hypothesis.
The author states the strict bipedalism hypothesis is 'almost certainly incorrect.'
This establishes the baseline of high certainty for the first part of the comparison.
2
Identify the author's level of certainty regarding the time the animal spent foraging on all fours.
The author states the analysis 'tentatively suggests' and the animal 'likely' spent the majority of its time foraging on all fours.
This establishes the level of certainty for the second part of the comparison.
3
Compare the two degrees of certainty.
The phrase 'almost certainly incorrect' denotes a significantly higher degree of confidence than the modifiers 'tentatively suggests' and 'likely'.
To evaluate the truth of the statement, the relative strength of the epistemic modifiers must be carefully weighed.

Key Concept

Evaluating relative degrees of authorial commitment using epistemic modifiers
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Topics

Evaluating the Degree of Commitment or Certainty

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