---
title: Which of the following most accurately characterises a probationary… — Finding a job and getting on · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following most accurately characterises a probationary period in employment? Exam question 1 of lesson 3 «Finding a job and getting on» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Exam question 1 · Finding a job and getting on

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following most accurately characterises a probationary period in employment?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** probationary period, employment

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 3 «Finding a job and getting on» 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/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on:e1:1
# text = Which of the following most accurately characterises a probationary period in employment?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	csubj	_	_
5	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	6	advmod	_	_
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	probationary	probationary	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	employment	employment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | 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 |  | a probationary period |  | employment |  | accurately *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A period of unpaid leave granted after illness

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on:e1:o1:1
# text = A period of unpaid leave granted after illness
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	unpaid	unpaid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nmod	_	_
5	leave	leave	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	granted	grant	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	after	after	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	illness	illness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grant** | present · passive |  | a period of unpaid |  |  | after illness |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A period following retirement during which a pension is withheld

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on:e1:o2:1
# text = A period following retirement during which a pension is withheld
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	amod	_	_
4	retirement	retirement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	during	during	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	pension	pension	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	withheld	withhold	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | 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 | **withhold** | present · passive |  | a pension |  |  | during a following retirement |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A trial period in which employer and employee assess the suitability of the appointment

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on:e1:o3:1
# text = A trial period in which employer and employee assess the suitability of the appointment
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	trial	trial	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	6	det	_	_
6	employer	employer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	employee	employee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
9	assess	assess	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	suitability	suitability	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	appointment	appointment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **assess** | present | a trial period in which employer and employee | the suitability of the appointment |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent suitability=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A period of supervision imposed by a court following a criminal offence of any description

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on:e1:o4:1
# text = A period of supervision imposed by a court following a criminal offence of any description
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	supervision	supervision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	imposed	impose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	court	court	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	criminal	criminal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	offence	offence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	15	det	_	_
15	description	description	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **impose** | participle |  | supervision *not said here* |  |  |  | by a court | vn enforce-63 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **follow** | gerund | a period of supervision *not said here* | a criminal offence of any description |  |  |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent offence=Theme |
| 3 | **offend** |  |  | any description |  |  |  |  | nom offence «act transitive»: of=patient |

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**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.

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- ← previous: [Finding a job and getting on, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/t11/)
- next →: [Finding a job and getting on, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Finding a job and getting on](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/)