Both are not

C is the choice, but I would say, "neither of Amy's two brothers is playing the piano". The original sentence doesn't tell us how many brothers she has, by the way.

Thanks, but I thought "Both of Amy's brothers" tells us she has exactly two brothers. From American Heritage Dictionay:

PRONOUN:

The one and the other: Both were candidates. We are both candidates. Both of us are candidates.

Please note "The one and the other"

Personally, I can never make sense of sentences which have "all" or "both" or "every" in the subject position and a negated verb. They have just about all the ambiguity and muddle the English language is capable of at its worst! Why do people insist on composing such structures? (rhetorical question!) Given the ambiguity, there is no answer to the multiple-choice question.

All

Hi guys,

Both of Amy's brothers are not playing the piano.
Which of the following is not true?

A. Amy's brothers are not playing the piano.
B. Amy has two brothers.
C. One of Amy's brother is playing the piano.
D. One of Amy's brother is not playing the piano.

It's late at night and this is tricky, but here goes.

A is

Very, very clear, I got it this time. CalifJim, it is from a junior hight test question.

Thanks a lot.

bmo

Gee, I didn't get it till I read Clive's post-- Jim's was too mathematical for me. Very good, BMO!

BMOThanks, but I thought "Both of Amy's brothers" tells us she has exactly two brothers.

You are absolutely correct! My oversight.