I had an English exam where I had to choose the most appropriate modal verb.
The sentence was like this:
Although he is an obedient student, he ____ be disobedient at times.
So, I chose ‘may’ by assuming the person has the possibility to be a menace. However, my English teacher considered it as the least appropriate one and tried to convenience me that the verb ‘can’ is the best choice as it reflects the person’s ability rather than possibility.
Therefore, I was wondering if my teacher's statement is true from both a native’s perspective and a grammarian’s perspective.