Negation, Quantifier Scope and Ambiguity —
Meaning in Context.

Question 1

A survey summary says: Not every resident supported the scheme—in fact, none did. The second clause _____.

Options: contradicts the first, which requires some supporters, is consistent with the first, which does not require any supporters, merely repeats the full meaning of the first

Question 2

Compare Some witnesses did not recognise the driver with Not every witness recognised the driver. Their minimum truth requirement is _____.

Options: different: only the first requires a witness who recognised the driver, the same: no witness recognised the driver, the same: at least one witness did not recognise the driver

Question 3

The minutes say only: The two amendments were not both adopted. Which account remains possible? _____.

Options: One was adopted, or neither was adopted, Exactly one was adopted, with no other outcome possible, Both were adopted, or neither was adopted

Question 4

An isolated written comment reads: Every delegate did not vote. An editor should _____.

Options: treat it as necessarily establishing that nobody voted, request clarification, since both a zero-voter and a non-unanimous reading can arise, treat it as necessarily establishing that somebody voted

Question 5

Without further context, I did not interview a translator ordinarily means that no translator was interviewed. A particular-translator reading _____.

Options: is impossible in English, is the only available reading, even without context, can arise if suitable context identifies the individual

Question 6

A curator says: There are some paintings I have not photographed. Does this establish that the curator photographed other paintings? _____.

Options: No; it leaves open whether any other paintings were photographed, Yes; some necessarily means some but not all, No; it establishes that no paintings were photographed

Question 7

Every analyst examined a dataset has a reading on which each analyst examined some dataset, possibly different ones. On that reading, a situation where all examined one shared dataset _____.

Options: fails to satisfy the claim, because each dataset must be unique, satisfies the claim, because different datasets are permitted but not required, fails to satisfy the claim unless someone examined a second dataset

Question 8

For Every researcher tested a device, consider two readings: each tested some device, or one device was tested by all. Which situation makes only the first reading true? _____.

Options: All researchers tested one shared device and no other devices, All researchers tested two shared devices, Each researcher tested exactly one device, and no device was tested by two researchers

Question 9

A report explicitly states that there was one particular recording which every investigator heard. This _____.

Options: requires a shared recording but leaves additional listening open, requires that nobody heard any other recording, allows each investigator to have heard only a different recording, with none shared

Question 10

A results note says: Three athletes did not qualify. With no further context, this _____.

Options: establishes that fewer than three athletes qualified, identifies three non-qualifiers without reliably fixing either the total failures or the total qualifiers, establishes that exactly three athletes qualified

Question 11

The correction says: It is not the case that exactly three teams withdrew. The corrected total _____.

Options: must be below three, must be above three, may be below or above three, but cannot be three

Question 12

In a written interview, a host says: I did not hire them; I was ordered to let them use the room. Later, she says: I do not think every guest was informed. The first correction _____; the later statement _____.

Options: denies that the people entered the room, rejects the description of the action as hiring, denies only that everyone was hired, commonly suggests a negative judgement but can leave the speaker undecided, necessarily expresses a belief that at least one guest was uninformed, necessarily expresses a belief that every guest was informed