If someone is described as the putative author of a book, they are ____ to have written it.

If someone is described as the putative author of a book, they are ____ to have written it.

• A. Mantle
• B. Putative
• C. Dipsomaniac
• D. Gamut

Answer: (B)

Putative means generally believed or claimed to be true, especially without solid proof. So when someone is described as the putative author, it means they are thought or alleged to have written the book, even if that hasn’t been definitively established. This usage signals attribution based on belief or incomplete evidence rather than a confirmed fact. The other words don’t fit the sense of belief or attribution: mantle is a cloak or role, dipsomaniac is someone with an uncontrollable drinking habit, and gamut means the full range of something. Putative is the best fit because it conveys the idea of supposed authorship.

Putative means generally believed or claimed to be true, especially without solid proof. So when someone is described as the putative author, it means they are thought or alleged to have written the book, even if that hasn’t been definitively established. This usage signals attribution based on belief or incomplete evidence rather than a confirmed fact. The other words don’t fit the sense of belief or attribution: mantle is a cloak or role, dipsomaniac is someone with an uncontrollable drinking habit, and gamut means the full range of something. Putative is the best fit because it conveys the idea of supposed authorship.