Premise: The assistant shoemaker is another of Malamud's weirdly insistent, lonely souls--impelled, who knows why, to devote himself to a hopeless love; still wincing from the horrors of Europe, which he has not entirely escaped; inarticulate, yet bursting with passion, if only his boss, the master shoemaker, will deign to listen.

Hypothesis: The assistant shoemaker ran away from Europe after a stroke of passion caused her to kill her lover's mistress.
Answer: it is not possible to tell

Premise: If there was any doubt that sugar was king in those days, the Treaty of Paris (1763) dispelled France elected to take back her little West Indian islands and leave the few snowy acres of Canada to the British.

Hypothesis: France gave some Canadian land to the Germans.
Answer: no

Premise: IRS's Senior Executive Performance Plans37 Performance Elements37 Performance Standards for Elements38 Performance Standards for Summary Ratings39

Hypothesis: The IRS has more than one performance plan for senior executives.
Answer: yes

Premise: Ever since Ferdinand and Isabella, Spanish monarchs have retreated to this oasis to escape Madrid's summer heat.

Hypothesis: The oasis has long been a retreat for Spanish monarchs.
Answer: yes