I’d like to ask for opinions about a question from a Chinese English exam paper that a colleague asked me about. To make it easy I will show you the multiple choice question, the four choices given AND the “correct” answer as shown in the answer key.
There are two things I would like you to tell me.

1.Can you think of any way that the given answer could actually be correct? (I couldn’t.)
and
2.If it isn’t correct which of the other answers is, and why? (They all look wrong to me.)

The question is in the form of an exchange between two people. You must choose the second person’s reply.

Person 1: Tom wasn’t in the house when I telephoned him last night.
Person 2: ………………………

A.Nor he was.
B.So he was.
C.No, he wasn’t.
D.So do I.

The only remotely plausible one to me is C and I have my doubts about that but the answer given is B.

Over to you for your thoughts.

C affirms the statement, but why did they use a declaratory statement and expect a reply to it?

The opening statement is peculiar to me to start with. I would be tempted to retort, “Well obviously not, if you had to telephone him!”

But let’s correct it to “Tom wasn’t at home when I telephoned him last night.” If anyone ever says “Nor he was,” A is equivalent to C. The only person I can picture who would answer “No, he wasn’t,” would be Tom’s roommate or family member-- who was at home, heard the phone ringing and didn’t pick up. Perhaps they let the machine take a message, since they knew Tom was out. Unless you are that person, you respond with something like, “Oh, I see,” “Wonder where he was?” etc.

P1: Tom wasn't home last night when I telephoned him.

P2: Yes, he wasn't [at home last night].

quote:

Originally posted by zmježd:
P1: Tom wasn't home last night when I telephoned him.

P2: Yes, he wasn't [at home last night].

That would work but sadly wasn't in the rather constrained list of choices.

To me, the only plausible one is C, and that, as Z says, hardly works. Really weird.