Modal Verbs Dictation: Present Deduction

Hear how certain the speaker sounds. Must can give a strong conclusion, might, may and could leave a possibility open, and cannot rejects an explanation. Here those modals concern what the speaker thinks is true, rather than what someone is allowed or required to do. The surrounding clue helps make that meaning clear. Listen beyond the modal as well: the next word is often be, but another base verb can follow. Keep the actual modal, even when another would also fit the situation.