---
title: Determine the meaning of the phrase "based on a true story" as emplo… — Scary films, nightmares and sad endings · tree and pragmatics
description: Determine the meaning of the phrase "based on a true story" as employed in respect of a cinematographic work. Exam question 2 of lesson 56 «Scary films, nightmares and sad endings» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Scary films, nightmares and sad endings

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Determine the meaning of the phrase "based on a true story" as employed in respect of a cinematographic work.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** determine, base, employ, mean, respect · **To what, where:** meaning, phrase, true story, respect, cinematographic work

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 56 «Scary films, nightmares and sad endings» 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/56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings:e2:1
# text = Determine the meaning of the phrase "based on a true story" as employed in respect of a cinematographic work.
1	Determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	phrase	phrase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	based	base	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
14	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
15	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	acl	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
18	of	of	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
20	cinematographic	cinematographic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	21	amod	_	_
21	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the meaning of the phrase |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **base** *in a quote* | participle |  | the phrase *not said here* |  | a true story |  |  | vn base-97.1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent on story=Source |
| 3 | **employ** | participle |  | a true story *not said here* |  | respect of a cinematographic work |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **mean** |  |  | the phrase |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |
| 5 | **respect** |  |  | a cinematographic work |  |  |  |  | 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That every event depicted occurred precisely as shown

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings:e2:o1:1
# text = That every event depicted occurred precisely as shown
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	3	det	_	_
3	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	depicted	depict	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	occurred	occur	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	precisely	precisely	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	shown	show	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **occur** | past · passive |  | that event |  |  |  | precisely *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **show** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the work derives from real events but alters them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings:e2:o2:1
# text = That the work derives from real events but alters them
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	derives	derive	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	events	event	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	alters	alter	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **derive** | present | That |  |  | real events |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP PP.material»: agent=Agent from event=Material |
| 2 | **alter** | present | That *not said here* | events *= event* |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent they=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the work was filmed at the actual time of the events

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings:e2:o3:1
# text = That the work was filmed at the actual time of the events
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	filmed	film	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	actual	actual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	events	event	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **film** | past · passive |  | That |  |  | time |  | vn transcribe-25.4 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the events depicted are entirely fictitious

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings:e2:o4:1
# text = That the events depicted are entirely fictitious
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	nsubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	events	event	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
4	depicted	depict	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	fictitious	fictitious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **event** |  | That |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **depict** | participle |  | the events *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | present | the events |  |  |  |  | entirely, fictitious *property* | tree rules |

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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: [Scary films, nightmares and sad endings, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings/e1/)
- next →: [Scary films, nightmares and sad endings, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings/e3/)
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