Does the use of は or omitting は affect the listener's reply?


This is a question taken from a JLPT excercise workbook.

> Person A: 新聞をよく読みますか。
>
> Person B: そうですね。毎日は[Fill in this blank]。

I am given 4 choices, of which only 2 are conjugated correctly.

> Choice 1: 読みます
>
> Choice 2: 読みません

To me it seems both options answer the question, since `そうですね` in this case
should be just a `相槌` (interjection used to indicate that the listener is
still participating in the conversation), and should not be a consideration
factor between Choice 1 and 2.

According to the workbook, Choice 2 is the correct answer. Is there an
explanation for this? Or can I just dismiss this as a poorly constructed
question in the workbook?

* * *

After considering what Dave said about は. I've come up with some explanation.

This question should have been about the disambiguating function of は.

> Person A: Do you read the newspapers **frequently**?
>
> Person B: 毎日は[Fill in the blank].

The domain that A establishes is "frequently"

B is using は to extract 毎日 from "frequently" as a given premise. (Since the
concept of "everyday" is a subset of "frequently")

* * *

This begs the question of why it's wrong when B says the following:

>   1. 毎日読みません
>
>   2. 毎日は読みます
>
>




As Dave and Dave M G stated, the answer comes not from そうですね but from 毎日は.

そうですね shows that person B is thinking about the question in a similar way to
“Let me see” in English. It does not mean either “yes” or “no.”

は here distinguishes 毎日 (every day) from other possible choices of frequency.
毎日は might be translated to “as long as ‘every day’ is concerned.”

(新聞を)毎日は読みません means that the speaker does not read newspaper _every day_ , and
it also means that he/she reads newspaper (in less frequency). That is a good
answer to the question “Do you read newspaper often?”

(新聞を)毎日は読みます would mean that the speaker reads newspaper _every day_ , and it
also means that he/she does not read newspaper in greater frequency. But if
you read newspaper every day, you usually count as a regular reader of
newspaper, and there is no point stating that you do not read in greater
frequency (say, once every hour).




As Dave and Dave M G stated, the answer comes not from そうですね but from 毎日は.

そうですね shows that person B is thinking about the question in a similar way to
“Let me see” in English. It does not mean either “yes” or “no.”

は here distinguishes 毎日 (every day) from other possible choices of frequency.
毎日は might be translated to “as long as ‘every day’ is concerned.”

(新聞を)毎日は読みません means that the speaker does not read newspaper _every day_ , and
it also means that he/she reads newspaper (in less frequency). That is a good
answer to the question “Do you read newspaper often?”

(新聞を)毎日は読みます would mean that the speaker reads newspaper _every day_ , and it
also means that he/she does not read newspaper in greater frequency. But if
you read newspaper every day, you usually count as a regular reader of
newspaper, and there is no point stating that you do not read in greater
frequency (say, once every hour).

