Premise:
"Their eyes, which were neutral little objects before, now seemed to watch them with active malevolence."
Hypothesis: They closed their eyes to hide their feelings.

no

Premise:
"What Murray likes about the idea is that it would finally discharge society's obligation to members of the underclass."
Hypothesis: Since Murray was born rich, he doesn't care about the underclass.

it is not possible to tell

Premise:
"Contrasting with the resplendent costumes, the set has an austere a backdrop (usually a permanent wall) of a large pine tree and some bamboo, with no curtain."
Hypothesis: The set has a backdrop of small pine trees and no bamboo, with a large curtain.
no