---
title: Ascertain the principal purpose of the formula "it was reported that… — In the news: tricked bots, real discov… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal purpose of the formula "it was reported that" in discourse concerning current events. Exam question 4 of lesson 23 «In the news: tricked bots, real discoveries, careful words» of the AI course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question a
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries/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/) / [AI](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/) / [In the news: tricked bots, real discov…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · In the news: tricked bots, real discoveries, careful words

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal purpose of the formula "it was reported that" in discourse concerning current events.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, formula · **What happens:** ascertain, report, purpose · **To what, where:** principal purpose, purpose, discourse · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 23 «In the news: tricked bots, real discoveries, careful words» of the AI 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/ai/23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the principal purpose of the formula "it was reported that" in discourse concerning current events.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	formula	formula	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	reported	report	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	parataxis	_	_
12	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	discourse	discourse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
16	concerning	concerning	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
17	current	current	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	events	event	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	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 principal purpose of the formula |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **report** *in a quote* | past · passive |  | purpose |  | discourse and concerning current events |  |  | vn prosecute-33.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 3 | **purpose** |  | the formula |  |  |  |  |  | nom purpose «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- .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 -->
To indicate that the event has certainly occurred

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries:e4:o1:1
# text = To indicate that the event has certainly occurred
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	indicate	indicate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	certainly	certainly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	occurred	occur	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot clause=Topic |
| 2 | **occur** | present · perfect · passive |  | the event |  |  |  | certainly *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To indicate that the event is certainly fictitious

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries:e4:o2:1
# text = To indicate that the event is certainly fictitious
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	indicate	indicate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	certainly	certainly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	fictitious	fictitious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **is** | present | the event |  |  |  |  | certainly, fictitious *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To distinguish what one knows directly from what one has heard

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries:e4:o3:1
# text = To distinguish what one knows directly from what one has heard
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	advcl	_	_
3	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	5	obj	_	_
4	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nsubj	_	_
5	knows	know	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	directly	directly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
9	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
10	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	heard	hear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	8	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **distinguish** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **know** | present | one |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer what=Stimulus |
| 3 | **hear** | present · perfect | one |  |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V PP.stimulus»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To lend the account an appearance of antiquity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries:e4:o4:1
# text = To lend the account an appearance of antiquity
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	lend	lend	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	appearance	appearance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	antiquity	antiquity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lend** | to-infinitive |  | the account |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent account=Recipient appearance=Theme |

<!-- 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: [In the news: tricked bots, real discov…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries/e3/)
- next →: [The future: hopes, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/24-future-hopes/t1/)
- ↑ back to [In the news: tricked bots, real discoveries, careful words](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries/)