---
title: Ascertain the definition of a household budget. — When money is tight · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the definition of a household budget. Exam question 4 of lesson 9 «When money is tight» 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.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/e4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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 money is tight](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · When money is tight

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the definition of a household budget.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, define · **To what, where:** definition, household budget

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 9 «When money is tight» 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/9-when-money-is-tight/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:9-when-money-is-tight:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the definition of a household budget.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	definition	definition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	budget	budget	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the definition of a household budget |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent definition=Topic |
| 2 | **define** |  |  | a household budget |  |  |  |  | nom definition «communication 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 -->
A tax payable upon household goods

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:9-when-money-is-tight:e4:o1:1
# text = A tax payable upon household goods
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	tax	tax	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	payable	payable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	goods	goods	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A loan obtained for the purchase of provisions

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:9-when-money-is-tight:e4:o2:1
# text = A loan obtained for the purchase of provisions
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	loan	loan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	obtained	obtain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	purchase	purchase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	provisions	provision	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **obtain** | participle |  | a loan *not said here* |  |  |  | for the purchase of provisions | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent for purchase=Asset |
| 2 | **purchase** |  |  | provisions |  |  |  |  | nom purchase «act transitive»: of=patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A plan of income, necessary expenditure and the remainder

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:9-when-money-is-tight:e4:o3:1
# text = A plan of income, necessary expenditure and the remainder
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	plan	plan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	income	income	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	necessary	necessary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	expenditure	expenditure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	remainder	remainder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **plan** |  |  | income |  |  |  |  | nom plan «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A record of interest accrued upon savings

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:9-when-money-is-tight:e4:o4:1
# text = A record of interest accrued upon savings
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	record	record	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	interest	interest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	accrued	accrue	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	savings	savings	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **accrue** | participle |  | a record of interest *not said here* |  |  |  | upon savings | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **record** |  |  | interest |  |  |  |  | nom record «communication transitive»: of=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [When money is tight, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/e3/)
- next →: [Moving house and renting a home, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/10-moving-house-and-renting-a-home/t1/)
- ↑ back to [When money is tight](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/)