---
title: Ascertain the reason for which a conversational program is unable to… — Sounding right and being right · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which a conversational program is unable to fasten the laces of a shoe. Exam question 4 of lesson 3 «Sounding right and being right» of the AI 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 4 · Sounding right and being right

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which a conversational program is unable to fasten the laces of a shoe.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, conversational program · **What happens:** ascertain, be, fasten · **To what, where:** reason, laces

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 3 «Sounding right and being right» 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/3-sounding-right-and-being-right/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:3-sounding-right-and-being-right:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which a conversational program is unable to fasten the laces of a shoe.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	conversational	conversational	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	program	program	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	fasten	fasten	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	xcomp	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	laces	lace	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	shoe	shoe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present | a conversational program |  |  |  |  | for the reason; unable *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **fasten** | to-infinitive | a conversational program *not said here* | the laces of a shoe |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lace=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 -->
It is capable thereof but only upon request in writing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:3-sounding-right-and-being-right:e4:o1:1
# text = It is capable thereof but only upon request in writing
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	capable	capable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	thereof	thereof	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
6	only	only	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	writing	writing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | capable, thereof *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is prohibited by statute from contact with footwear

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:3-sounding-right-and-being-right:e4:o2:1
# text = It is prohibited by statute from contact with footwear
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	prohibited	prohibit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	statute	statute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	contact	contact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	footwear	footwear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prohibit** | present · passive | statute | It |  | contact with footwear |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Causer subject=Beneficiary from contact=Eventuality |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It consists of text upon a screen and possesses no physical means of handling objects

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:3-sounding-right-and-being-right:e4:o3:1
# text = It consists of text upon a screen and possesses no physical means of handling objects
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	consists	consist	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	screen	screen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	possesses	possess	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	11	det	_	_
11	physical	physical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	nsubj	_	_
12	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	ccomp	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	handling	handling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	objects	object	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consist** | present | It |  |  |  |  | of text; upon a screen | tree rules |
| 2 | **possess** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **mean** | present | no physical |  |  |  |  | of handling objects | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It regards the task as beneath its dignity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:3-sounding-right-and-being-right:e4:o4:1
# text = It regards the task as beneath its dignity
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	regards	regard	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	task	task	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	dignity	dignity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **regard** | present | It | the task |  |  |  | as task's dignity | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP PP.value»: agent=Agent task=Theme as dignity=Value |

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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: [Sounding right and being right, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/3-sounding-right-and-being-right/e3/)
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