Question 106·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
Computational attributions are sometimes reported as though confidence and permanence were the same. Researcher Lena Ortiz separates the two. A candidate may receive a likelihood of in her model, a result she reports without hedging; nevertheless, she treats that attribution as authoritative only for the corpus then available and reruns the analysis whenever the corpus expands. Ortiz's conclusions are thus deliberately ______: their decisiveness within one analysis does not determine the outcome of the next.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
In difficult words-in-context questions, distinguish closely related qualities rather than matching a single clue. Here, use the entire contrast: the current result is confident and decisive, but its status can change when the evidence base changes.
Hints
Separate two qualities
Consider whether the text portrays Ortiz as uncertain about the current result or as willing to reconsider it when the evidence changes.
Use both sides of the contrast
The correct choice must fit both the unhedged likelihood and the decision to rerun the analysis after the corpus expands.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the key distinction
The text distinguishes confidence from permanence: Ortiz can report a high likelihood without hedging while still rerunning the analysis when the available corpus changes.
Determine the required meaning
The missing word must describe a conclusion that can be decisive under present evidence yet remain open to replacement after a later analysis.
Select the precise word
A conclusion accepted for the present but subject to later revision is provisional.