What term refers to the speaker's or writer's view of how likely a situation is?

• A. extrinsic modality
• B. hedging
• C. phrase
• D. notional syllabus

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how language encodes the speaker’s view of likelihood. Modality in language covers how a speaker expresses possibility, probability, necessity, and obligation. Extrinsic modality specifically names the stance the speaker takes toward the truth of the proposition from an outside perspective—essentially, how likely or certain the speaker believes the situation to be. This is the aspect expressed when we talk about epistemic probability or likelihood, often carried by words like may, might, could, probably, or perhaps, which flag the speaker’s assessment of how probable the event is.

In contrast, hedging is a broader communicative tactic used to soften statements or show uncertainty, but it’s not the precise label for the grammatical category that marks likelihood or probability. The other options don’t apply to this linguistic function.