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Among paleontologists, the study of the Permian-Triassic
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08 Jun 2026, 21:17
08 Jun 2026, 21:17
1
Expert Reply
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Question Stats:
46% (01:23) correct
53% (00:34) wrong based on 15 sessions
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Among paleontologists, the study of the Permian-Triassic extinction was long regarded as a discipline in which conjecture so thoroughly (i) _____ hard evidence that speculation flourished virtually unchecked. That era has now decisively ended, for the torrent of geochemical and fossil data amassed over the past two decades has (ii) ______ every proposed causal mechanism save one: the massive volcanic eruptions of the Siberian Traps.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
|---|---|
| A. was dwarfed by | D. corroborated |
| B. outstripped | E. winnowed |
| C. fluctuated against | F. obfuscated |
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Re: Among paleontologists, the study of the Permian-Triassic
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11 Jun 2026, 23:31
11 Jun 2026, 23:31
Expert Reply
Explanation
Blank (i): The sentence states that "speculation flourished virtually unchecked" because conjecture "so thoroughly" did something to hard evidence. If speculation is running wild, it means there is far more guesswork than actual hard data.
Outstripped (B) means exceeded or surpassed. If conjecture outstripped hard evidence, guesswork overtook the facts, allowing speculation to flourish.
Was dwarfed by (A) would mean conjecture was smaller than the hard evidence, which contradicts the idea that speculation ran unchecked.
Fluctuated against (C) implies an unstable relationship, but doesn't capture the sheer excess of speculation required by the context.
Blank (ii): The sentence notes that this era of unchecked speculation has ended because a "torrent of geochemical and fossil data" has done something to "every proposed causal mechanism save one" (except one). This means the new data eliminated all the other theories, leaving only the Siberian Traps hypothesis standing.
Winnowed (E) means to sift through or eliminate undesirable options until only the best one is left. This fits perfectly with narrowing the field down to a single cause.
Corroborated (D) means supported, but the data didn't support every mechanism; it eliminated all but one.
Obfuscated (F) means confused or obscured, which contradicts the idea that the era of speculation has "decisively ended."
Answer: B,E
Blank (i): The sentence states that "speculation flourished virtually unchecked" because conjecture "so thoroughly" did something to hard evidence. If speculation is running wild, it means there is far more guesswork than actual hard data.
Outstripped (B) means exceeded or surpassed. If conjecture outstripped hard evidence, guesswork overtook the facts, allowing speculation to flourish.
Was dwarfed by (A) would mean conjecture was smaller than the hard evidence, which contradicts the idea that speculation ran unchecked.
Fluctuated against (C) implies an unstable relationship, but doesn't capture the sheer excess of speculation required by the context.
Blank (ii): The sentence notes that this era of unchecked speculation has ended because a "torrent of geochemical and fossil data" has done something to "every proposed causal mechanism save one" (except one). This means the new data eliminated all the other theories, leaving only the Siberian Traps hypothesis standing.
Winnowed (E) means to sift through or eliminate undesirable options until only the best one is left. This fits perfectly with narrowing the field down to a single cause.
Corroborated (D) means supported, but the data didn't support every mechanism; it eliminated all but one.
Obfuscated (F) means confused or obscured, which contradicts the idea that the era of speculation has "decisively ended."
Answer: B,E
Re: Among paleontologists, the study of the Permian-Triassic
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12 Jun 2026, 04:00
12 Jun 2026, 04:00
Expert Reply
Blank (i)
The sentence describes a discipline "in which conjecture so thoroughly (i) ______ hard evidence that speculation flourished virtually unchecked." The result clause ("speculation flourished virtually unchecked") reveals the meaning: conjecture dominated because evidence was scarce. The blank must mean exceeded, surpassed, or vastly outweighed.
- A. was dwarfed by - Was made to seem small by comparison; was greatly exceeded by. If conjecture was dwarfed by evidence, evidence would be the larger force - the opposite of what the sentence describes. Incorrect.
- B. outstripped - Surpassed, exceeded, went beyond. "Conjecture so thoroughly outstripped hard evidence" perfectly captures the idea that theorizing vastly exceeded the available data. Correct.
- C. fluctuated against - Varied in relation to. "Fluctuated" implies back-and-forth change, but the sentence describes a sustained, extreme imbalance, not variability. Incorrect.
Blank (ii)
The second sentence states: "That era has now decisively ended, for the torrent of geochemical and fossil data... has (ii) _______ every proposed causal mechanism save one: the massive volcanic eruptions of the Siberian Traps." The word "save" means "except." The data has done something to all mechanisms except one - meaning the data has removed, eliminated, or weeded out the others. The blank must mean eliminated, filtered out, or narrowed down.
- D. corroborated - Confirmed, supported with evidence. If data corroborated every mechanism except one, it would support all but one - which is the opposite of eliminating them. Incorrect.
- E. winnowed - Sifted through to remove the less useful; narrowed down by elimination. "The torrent of data has winnowed every proposed causal mechanism save one" perfectly captures the process of using evidence to eliminate all but the correct explanation. Correct.
- F. obfuscated - Made unclear, confused, obscured. If data obfuscated all mechanisms, it would make them harder to evaluate - contradicting the idea that one mechanism now stands alone as the answer. Incorrect.
The sentence describes a discipline "in which conjecture so thoroughly (i) ______ hard evidence that speculation flourished virtually unchecked." The result clause ("speculation flourished virtually unchecked") reveals the meaning: conjecture dominated because evidence was scarce. The blank must mean exceeded, surpassed, or vastly outweighed.
- A. was dwarfed by - Was made to seem small by comparison; was greatly exceeded by. If conjecture was dwarfed by evidence, evidence would be the larger force - the opposite of what the sentence describes. Incorrect.
- B. outstripped - Surpassed, exceeded, went beyond. "Conjecture so thoroughly outstripped hard evidence" perfectly captures the idea that theorizing vastly exceeded the available data. Correct.
- C. fluctuated against - Varied in relation to. "Fluctuated" implies back-and-forth change, but the sentence describes a sustained, extreme imbalance, not variability. Incorrect.
Blank (ii)
The second sentence states: "That era has now decisively ended, for the torrent of geochemical and fossil data... has (ii) _______ every proposed causal mechanism save one: the massive volcanic eruptions of the Siberian Traps." The word "save" means "except." The data has done something to all mechanisms except one - meaning the data has removed, eliminated, or weeded out the others. The blank must mean eliminated, filtered out, or narrowed down.
- D. corroborated - Confirmed, supported with evidence. If data corroborated every mechanism except one, it would support all but one - which is the opposite of eliminating them. Incorrect.
- E. winnowed - Sifted through to remove the less useful; narrowed down by elimination. "The torrent of data has winnowed every proposed causal mechanism save one" perfectly captures the process of using evidence to eliminate all but the correct explanation. Correct.
- F. obfuscated - Made unclear, confused, obscured. If data obfuscated all mechanisms, it would make them harder to evaluate - contradicting the idea that one mechanism now stands alone as the answer. Incorrect.
