---
title: Identify the principal reason for which certain news is withheld fro… — Closed doors, whispers and secrets · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which certain news is withheld from children for a period. Exam question 2 of lesson 35 «Closed doors, whispers and secrets» 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 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Closed doors, whispers and secrets

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which certain news is withheld from children for a period.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, withhold · **To what, where:** principal reason, certain news

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 35 «Closed doors, whispers and secrets» 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/35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which certain news is withheld from children for a period.
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	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
7	certain	certain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	news	news	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	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **withhold** | present · passive |  | certain news |  |  |  | for the principal reason; from children; for a period | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To ensure the news is disclosed through gossip

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets:e2:o1:1
# text = To ensure the news is disclosed through gossip
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	ensure	ensure	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	news	news	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	disclosed	disclose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	gossip	gossip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ensure** | to-infinitive |  | the news |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition news=Theme |
| 2 | **disclose** | present · passive |  |  |  | gossip |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP» |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To punish the children for previous misconduct

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets:e2:o2:1
# text = To punish the children for previous misconduct
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	punish	punish	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	previous	previous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	misconduct	misconduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **punish** | to-infinitive |  | the children |  |  |  | for previous misconduct | vn prosecute-33.2-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent child=Patient for misconduct=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To permit its communication once, clearly and gently, when more is known

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets:e2:o3:1
# text = To permit its communication once, clearly and gently, when more is known
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	permit	permit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	communication	communication	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	2	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	clearly	clearly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	gently	gently	ADV	RB	_	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	14	advmod	_	_
12	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	known	know	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **permit** | to-infinitive |  | its communication |  |  |  | clearly, once *property* | vn admit-64.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent communication=Theme |
| 2 | **know** | present · passive |  | more |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Stimulus |
| 3 | **communicate** |  | its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom communication «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To prevent the children from ever learning of the matter in any form whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:35-closed-doors-whispers-and-secrets:e2:o4:1
# text = To prevent the children from ever learning of the matter in any form whatsoever
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	prevent	prevent	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	7	advmod	_	_
7	learning	learn	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	13	det	_	_
13	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
14	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prevent** | to-infinitive |  | the children |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer child=Theme |
| 2 | **learn** | gerund |  |  |  | any form | ever | of the matter; whatsoever *property* | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent of matter=Topic |

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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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