Inference from a Reported Statement “Hitesh told Mohit that a ghost lived by the peepal tree on the outskirts of the village.” What is the most reasonable inference about Hitesh?

Introduction / Context:
This assesses cautious inference from a reported statement. We must avoid asserting facts about the external world that are not evidenced and instead infer what is most plausible about the speaker’s belief state.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Hitesh reported to Mohit that a ghost lived by a specific peepal tree.
• We know nothing else about botany, geography, or the actual existence of ghosts.
• The safe inference concerns Hitesh’s beliefs or susceptibility to such stories.

Concept / Approach:
From someone asserting a claim about ghosts at a specific location, a cautious, reasonable inference is that the speaker at least entertains or believes such stories. We cannot leap to claims about Mohit’s feelings, the tree’s distribution, or the ontology of ghosts.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Even if Hitesh were joking or quoting folklore, the most neutral test-prep inference is that he “perhaps believed in the stories of ghosts.” This uses hedging (“perhaps”) and stays within the epistemic reading of the utterance.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• (a) Botany/geography claim not supported.
• (b) Ontological claim about ghosts is unwarranted.
• (d) Mohit’s fear is unknown and not implied.

Common Pitfalls:
Overstating conclusions about objective reality from a single reported statement, or inferring emotions of the listener without cues.

Final Answer:
Hitesh perhaps believed in the stories of ghosts.