Cuando lo verdadero no basta: la regla epistémica de Wikipedia

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About this article

Level C2 Reading focus

What you'll learn

Source-evaluation vocabulary, epistemic argumentation, the concessive subjunctive, correlative clauses and conditional questions

This C2 reading examines Wikipedia's verifiability policy: claims must be traceable to published reliable sources, source quality depends on context, and verifiability alone does not guarantee inclusion.

After reading

Article learning block

Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.

15 items

Phrases for training

Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.

no basta por sí sola

new

is not enough on its own

The phrase says that one element, by itself, cannot satisfy the requirement.

It helps qualify an argument without rejecting that element completely.

susceptible de ser cuestionado

new

likely to be challenged

Susceptible de describes something that may undergo the action named by the infinitive.

It is useful for discussing claims that may attract objections.

dentro de su campo

new

within their field

The phrase limits a specialist's competence to the relevant area.

It prevents an argument from granting unlimited authority.

poner a prueba

new

to put to the test

Poner a prueba means examining whether something withstands checking.

It is useful in arguments about evidence and reliability.

Key words

Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.

Traceable

rastreable

traceable

Rastreable describes something whose origin or path can be followed.

It distinguishes traceability from truth or quality.

Is challenged

impugna

is challenged

Se impugna means that someone formally disputes or contests a claim.

It is precise vocabulary for disagreement over evidence.

Scrutiny

escrutinio

scrutiny

Escrutinio is a careful and critical examination.

It names the intensity of checking applied to a source.

Self-published

autopublicado

self-published

Autopublicado describes material issued by its author without an independent publisher.

It helps classify sources by their editorial process.

Traceability

trazabilidad

traceability

Trazabilidad is the ability to reconstruct the origin and path of information.

It names the central epistemic criterion in the article.

Nuance

matiz

nuance

Matiz is a subtle difference in meaning, force or interpretation.

It helps test whether a source supports the exact wording of a claim.

Grammar in context

Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.

Concession with aunque

aunque el editor esté seguro

although the editor may be certain

Aunque takes the subjunctive esté because the sentence concedes certainty without treating it as sufficient.

Why is esté in the subjunctive?

Real condition with si

Si una afirmación se impugna

if a claim is challenged

Si plus the present indicative presents a possible real condition and its consequence.

Which mood follows si here?

Proportional correlation

Cuanto mayor sea el escrutinio, mayor será la fiabilidad esperable

the greater the scrutiny, the greater the expected reliability

Cuanto mayor..., mayor... links two quantities that rise together; sea is subjunctive and será points to the resulting expectation.

What relationship does cuanto mayor..., mayor... express?

Bastar con que plus subjunctive

No basta con que una frase lleve una cita

it is not enough for a sentence to carry a citation

Bastar con que introduces a sufficient condition; lleve is subjunctive because that condition is evaluated rather than asserted as a fact.

Why is lleve in the subjunctive?

Conditional for a hypothetical cause

¿Qué te haría cambiar de opinión?

What would make you change your mind?

Haría is the conditional of hacer and asks about a hypothetical cause of change.