Question

Consider the following sentence: The historian will put the paintings in his house on the wall in the museum. Which interpretation is NOT possible among the following?

• A. \textbf{The paintings were on the museum wall.}
• B. \textbf{The wall was in the museum.}
• C. \textbf{The paintings were in his house.}
• D. \textbf{The historian will put the paintings on the wall.}

Hint:

When analyzing entailments, always check whether the statement refers to the \textbf{current state} (before the action) or the \textbf{future state} (after the action). Here, the paintings were initially in the house, not already on the museum wall.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the given sentence
The sentence has two key parts: 1. "the paintings in his house" → identifies which paintings are being referred to. 2. "on the wall in the museum" → specifies the destination where the paintings will be placed. So, the historian will take paintings (currently in his house) and put them on a wall that is inside the museum. Step 2: Checking the options
- (A) The paintings were on the museum wall.
This is not possible because the paintings were not already on the museum wall. According to the sentence, they were in his house and only later will be placed on the wall in the museum. - (B) The wall was in the museum.
This is possible—the phrase "on the wall in the museum" explicitly states this. - (C) The paintings were in his house.
This is possible—the phrase "the paintings in his house" confirms this. - (D) The historian will put the paintings on the wall.
This is also possible—the verb phrase "will put … on the wall" clearly states this. Step 3: Conclusion
The only interpretation that does not follow is (A). \[ \boxed{Correct Answer: (A)} \]