Choose the option that best completes each sentence.
1The terminal cannot be accessed remotely, both authorised users were abroad, and an unidentified person entered the correct password; it ...............
Wrong!
Because remote access was impossible and neither authorised user was present, the password "must have been compromised" is the unavoidable conclusion.
2The portal accepted uploads only from existing accounts, but hers was created two hours after the portal closed; she ............... the file through that account.
Wrong!
The account did not exist while uploads were possible, so she "cannot have uploaded" the file through it.
3Although live tracking is unavailable, the courier left before noon and the route normally takes under an hour, so the parcel ............... by now.
Wrong!
The normal journey time creates a strong expectation rather than certainty, so the parcel "should have arrived" by now.
4Because every stage involved an uncontrolled handover and no chain-of-custody records were kept, the anomaly ...............
Wrong!
The uncontrolled handovers leave the point of origin unresolved, so the anomaly "could have arisen at any stage".
5Controlled trials show that the enzyme invariably breaks down at room temperature; had these samples been stored there, it ............... far more rapidly.
Wrong!
The established invariable result supports the definite counterfactual consequence "would have degraded".
6The conclusion is all the more convincing ............... repeated attempts to falsify it.
Wrong!
Surviving repeated attempts to falsify the conclusion is the reason it is more convincing, which is expressed by "for having survived"; "despite" would wrongly present the survival as a contrast.
7The findings are ............... with the theory's central mechanism; they may merely show that its scope was defined too broadly.
Wrong!
The possible need to narrow the theory's scope means the findings are "not necessarily incompatible" with its central mechanism.
8Were the estimates to prove accurate, the resulting savings ............... sufficient to fund the entire programme.
Wrong!
The formal hypothetical inversion "Were the estimates to prove accurate" requires the conditional result "would be".
9According to the specification, the device ............... even very small gas leaks without human intervention, although its field performance has not yet been verified.
Wrong!
A specification states intended performance but does not guarantee it, so the device "is supposed to detect" the leaks.
10That the two surveys produced similar averages is ............... evidence of reliability, since both relied on the same biased sample.
Wrong!
Because both surveys share the same bias, their agreement is "not in itself sufficient" evidence of reliability.
11With three of five sites still unreported and the two available estimates pointing in opposite directions, the overall finding is ...............
Wrong!
Extensive missing data and contradictory available estimates make the overall finding "far from conclusive".
12The error vanished after rebooting, but an intermittent hardware fault has not been ruled out, so it ............... software-related.
Wrong!
Because a hardware explanation remains possible, the disappearance of the error only suggests that it "may have been" software-related.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- The terminal cannot be accessed remotely, both authorised users were abroad, and an unidentified person entered the correct password; it must have been compromised .
- The portal accepted uploads only from existing accounts, but hers was created two hours after the portal closed; she cannot have uploaded the file through that account.
- Although live tracking is unavailable, the courier left before noon and the route normally takes under an hour, so the parcel should have arrived by now.
- Because every stage involved an uncontrolled handover and no chain-of-custody records were kept, the anomaly could have arisen at any stage .
- Controlled trials show that the enzyme invariably breaks down at room temperature; had these samples been stored there, it would have degraded far more rapidly.
- The conclusion is all the more convincing for having survived repeated attempts to falsify it.
- The findings are not necessarily incompatible with the theory’s central mechanism; they may merely show that its scope was defined too broadly.
- Were the estimates to prove accurate, the resulting savings would be sufficient to fund the entire programme.
- According to the specification, the device is supposed to detect even very small gas leaks without human intervention, although its field performance has not yet been verified.
- That the two surveys produced similar averages is not in itself sufficient evidence of reliability, since both relied on the same biased sample.
- With three of five sites still unreported and the two available estimates pointing in opposite directions, the overall finding is far from conclusive .
- The error vanished after rebooting, but an intermittent hardware fault has not been ruled out, so it may have been software-related.