--- title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — When things break: boilers, plumbers a… · tree and pragmatics description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression "it will cost an arm and a leg"? Exam question 3 of lesson 11 «When things break: boilers, plumbers and paint» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/11-when-things-break/e3/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Adult life](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/) / [When things break: boilers, plumbers a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/11-when-things-break/) / e3 # Exam question 3 · When things break: boilers, plumbers and paint Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression "it will cost an arm and a leg"? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** expression · **What happens:** follow, characteris, cost · **To what, where:** expression, arm · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is exam question 3 of lesson 11 «When things break: boilers, plumbers and paint» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/adult-life/11-when-things-break/#e3). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:adult-life:11-when-things-break:e3:1 # text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression "it will cost an arm and a leg"? 1 Which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 8 nsubj _ _ 2 of of ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 following follow VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 5 amod _ _ 5 statements statement NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 obl _ _ 6 most most ADV RBS Degree=Sup 7 advmod _ _ 7 accurately accurately ADV RB _ 8 advmod _ _ 8 characterises characteris VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 expression expression NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ _ 11 " " PUNCT '' _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 14 nsubj _ _ 13 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 14 aux _ _ 14 cost cost VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 8 ccomp _ _ 15 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 arm arm NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 obj _ _ 17 and and CCONJ CC _ 19 cc _ _ 18 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 19 det _ _ 19 leg leg NOUN NN Number=Sing 16 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 20 " " PUNCT '' _ 19 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 21 ? ? PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **follow** | gerund | | | | | | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **characteris** | present | | the expression | | | | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **cost** *in a quote* | future | expression | a arm and a leg | | | | | vn cost-54.2 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme arm=Value | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1} The tradesman shall require payment in bodily injury ```conllu # sent_id = question:adult-life:11-when-things-break:e3:o1:1 # text = The tradesman shall require payment in bodily injury 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 tradesman tradesman NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 shall shall AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 4 require require VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 payment payment NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ 6 in in ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 bodily bodily ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 injury injury NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **require** | shall | the tradesman | payment | | bodily injury | | | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme payment=Precondition | ### Option 2 {#o2} The expenditure incurred will be negligible ```conllu # sent_id = question:adult-life:11-when-things-break:e3:o2:1 # text = The expenditure incurred will be negligible 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 expenditure expenditure NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 incurred incur VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 6 aux _ _ 5 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 6 cop _ _ 6 negligible negligible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 xcomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **incur** | past | the expenditure | | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **is** | future | the expenditure *not said here* | | | | | negligible *property* | tree rules | ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} The expenditure incurred will be very considerable ```conllu # sent_id = question:adult-life:11-when-things-break:e3:o3:1 # text = The expenditure incurred will be very considerable 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 expenditure expenditure NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 incurred incur VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 7 aux _ _ 5 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 7 cop _ _ 6 very very ADV RB _ 7 advmod _ _ 7 considerable considerable ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 ccomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **incur** | past | the expenditure | | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **is** | future | the expenditure *not said here* | | | | | considerable *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} The work shall be performed without charge ```conllu # sent_id = question:adult-life:11-when-things-break:e3:o4:1 # text = The work shall be performed without charge 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 work work NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 shall shall AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ _ 4 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 5 aux:pass _ _ 5 performed perform VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 6 without without ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 7 charge charge NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **perform** | shall · passive | | the work | | | | without charge | vn performance-26.7 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme | **Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License. - ← previous: [When things break: boilers, plumbers a…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/11-when-things-break/e2/) - next →: [When things break: boilers, plumbers a…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/11-when-things-break/e4/) - ↑ back to [When things break: boilers, plumbers and paint](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/11-when-things-break/)