abhola wrote:
VeritasKarishma wrote:
abhola - I am not sure I understand your doubt.
You are correct in saying that "can" shows ability and "will" shows certainty. "would" shows certainty in a hypothetical situation.
The use of "can" and "will/would" is appropriate in the argument and in the options (as explained above).
Hi
VeritasKarishma,
My doubt is around the usage of 'only' and 'will vs can vs would'.
We are given the following statement in the passage:
That angle can be kept fairly stable only by the gravitational influence of Earth’s large, nearby Moon.From this statement, could you please let me know which one of the below statements would be a valid inference? Statement #1: If a large moon is present nearby, then the earth's axis can be kept fairly stable.Here I am using 'can', and not 'would', meaning I am dealing with just the possibilities, not the certainty. So can I say #1, even though it looks like 'mistaken reversal' can be a valid inference?
Statement #2: If a large moon is present nearby, then the earth's axis would/will be kept fairly stable.I think as you mentioned in the explanation of Choice A, this is most likely incorrect.
Thanks again!
Yes, your statement 1 is correct. If a large moon is present nearby, axis CAN be kept stable. Possibility exists.
Also, since we are given: "That angle can be kept fairly stable ONLY by the gravitational influence of Earth’s large, nearby Moon."
we know that without the Moon, the axis WILL not be stable.
And yes, your statement 2 is incorrect. Possibility exists. It is not certain.
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