The correct answer is: B. were
The sentence is in the past tense, because it is talking about a specific event that happened in the past. The subject of the sentence is “neither of the paintings”, which is plural. The verb “to be” in the past tense for plural subjects is “were”.
The other options are incorrect because they are not in the past tense. Option A, “have been”, is in the present perfect tense. Option C, “are”, is in the present tense. Option D, “was”, is in the singular past tense.
Here is a breakdown of each option:
- A. have been
This option is incorrect because it is in the present perfect tense. The present perfect tense is used to talk about things that have happened or been true up to the present moment. In this case, the sentence is talking about something that happened in the past, so the present perfect tense is not appropriate.
- B. were
This option is correct because it is in the past tense. The past tense is used to talk about things that happened in the past. In this case, the sentence is talking about something that happened in the past, so the past tense is appropriate.
- C. are
This option is incorrect because it is in the present tense. The present tense is used to talk about things that are happening now or that are true in general. In this case, the sentence is talking about something that happened in the past, so the present tense is not appropriate.
- D. was
This option is incorrect because it is in the singular past tense. The singular past tense is used to talk about things that happened to one person or thing in the past. In this case, the sentence is talking about two things, so the singular past tense is not appropriate.