Question

credibility.*
based on the entry above, which sentence shows the original historical meaning of the word plausible?

◯ ◯ jin researched the california gold rush to give her story about a miner plausible details.

◯ ◯ the traveling musicians bid the people of bonneville farewell with a plausible performance worthy of kings.

◯ ◯ raccoon prints provided a plausible explanation for the disappearance of jack’s lunch from the campsite.

◯ ◯ a plausible imposter arrived in the sleepy village, claiming the ability to convert base metals into silver and gold.

Explanation:

The original historical meaning of "plausible" comes from Latin plausibilis, meaning deserving applause, pleasing or acceptable to the audience. We need to find the sentence that uses it to describe something praiseworthy/pleasing rather than just seemingly true.

1. The first, third sentences use "plausible" to mean seemingly believable, which is the modern common meaning.
2. The fourth sentence uses it to mean seemingly convincing (but false), also a modern usage.
3. The second sentence uses "plausible" to describe a performance worthy of kings, aligning with the original meaning of pleasing/deserving praise.

Answer:

O The traveling musicians bid the people of Bonneville farewell with a plausible performance worthy of kings.