---
title: Identify the principal function of a family court in respect of arra… — When parents separate · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal function of a family court in respect of arrangements for children, given that the parents are unable to agree. Exam question 3 of lesson 15 «When parents separate» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and o
---

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# Exam question 3 · When parents separate

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal function of a family court in respect of arrangements for children, given that the parents are unable to agree.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, parents · **What happens:** identify, give, be, agree, respect · **To what, where:** principal function, arrangements

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 15 «When parents separate» 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/15-when-parents-separate/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:e3:1
# text = Identify the principal function of a family court in respect of arrangements for children, given that the parents are unable to agree.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	court	court	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	arrangements	arrangement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
16	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	acl	_	_
17	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	21	mark	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	parents	parent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	21	nsubj	_	_
20	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	cop	_	_
21	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	advcl	_	_
22	to	to	PART	TO	_	23	mark	_	_
23	agree	agree	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	21	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal function of a family court in respect of arrangements for children |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent function=Theme |
| 2 | **give** | participle |  | arrangements for children *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **is** | present | the parents |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **agree** *speech: agree* | to-infinitive | the parents *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **respect** |  |  | arrangements for children |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .note -->
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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To determine arrangements in the best interests of the children

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:e3:o1:1
# text = To determine arrangements in the best interests of the children
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	arrangements	arrangement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	7	amod	_	_
7	interests	interest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | to-infinitive |  | arrangements |  | the best interests of the children |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent arrangement=Topic |
| 2 | **interest** |  |  | the children |  |  |  |  | nom interest «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To impose a fine upon both parents

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:e3:o2:1
# text = To impose a fine upon both parents
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	impose	impose	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	obj	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	parents	parent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **impose** | to-infinitive |  | a fine |  |  |  | upon both parents | vn enforce-63 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fine=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To determine which parent was to blame for the separation

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:e3:o3:1
# text = To determine which parent was to blame for the separation
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	determine	determine	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	advcl	_	_
3	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	4	det	_	_
4	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	blame	blame	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	separation	separation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | to-infinitive | which parent *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | past | which parent |  |  |  |  | for the separation; blame *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To require the parents to remarry

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:e3:o4:1
# text = To require the parents to remarry
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	require	require	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	parents	parent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	remarry	remarry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | to-infinitive |  | the parents |  |  |  |  | vn order-58.3-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent parent=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **remarry** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

<!-- div src -->

**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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: [When parents separate, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/15-when-parents-separate/e2/)
- next →: [When parents separate, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/15-when-parents-separate/e4/)
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