Answer:
This question is incomplete. Here is the complete question:
Police are convinced the paintings ______ taken out of the country already.
a- may have
b- must have
c- must have been
d- might have been
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is option b- must have .
Modal verbs express possibility or probability. When used with the infinitive form of the perfect ("have" + past participle), modal verbs indicate speculation about things in the past.
"Must have" is used to express a logical conclusion about something that happened in the past. We are not sure what exactly happened, but based on the evidence, we can come to some conclusion. Unlike "might have" or "may have," "must have" expresses more certainty.
Since the policemen "were convinced" we can say that the correct answer is option B- "Must have".