Assess the Following as Probably True,as Probably False,as Requiring Further

question 57

Short Answer

Assess the following as probably true,as probably false,as requiring further documentation before judgment,or as a claim that cannot properly be evaluated.Consider both the nature of the claim and the source.
Huddie Ledbetter ("Leadbelly")was not only a writer and performer of songs but also an unusually powerful man.Alan Lomax,the historian of American folk music,wrote that "in the Texas Penitentiary he was the number one man in the number one gang on the number one farm in the state-the man who could carry the lead row in the field for 12 or 14 hours a day under the broiling July and August sun." He could pick a bale of cotton in a day-that's 500 pounds!
-Adapted from liner notes to the record Leadbelly (Everest recording FS-202)

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Definitions:

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Conclusion

The final part of something, notably an argument or text, where the main points are resolved or summarized.

Evidence

Evidence refers to information, facts, or data presented to support a claim, assertion, or hypothesis.

Generalization

A broad statement or conclusion that applies to many instances, derived from specific cases.