Credibility is based off of what?

• A. Speed of investigations
• B. The narrator's confidence
• C. The number of witnesses
• D. Proximity, ability to see/hear, attention level to the time

Answer: (D)

Credibility hinges on how well a witness could perceive the events. If someone was physically close to what happened, they’re more likely to have captured accurate details. A clear ability to see and hear matters because good visibility and hearing reduce distortions or gaps in memory. The witness’s attention level at the time is crucial too—being focused increases the likelihood that their observations are encoded accurately and recalled reliably later.

Other options don’t directly affect the trustworthiness of what a person reports. Speed of the investigation doesn’t change the accuracy of what was observed. The narrator’s confidence might influence how convincing the account sounds, but not whether the facts were perceived correctly. The number of witnesses can aid corroboration, but credibility for a single account rests most on proximity, visibility/hearing, and attention at the moment of the event.