---
title: Identify the formulation of a request most likely to elicit a useful… — Asking well, being polite, knowing whe… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the formulation of a request most likely to elicit a useful and verifiable answer. Exam question 2 of lesson 8 «Asking well, being polite, knowing when to stop» of the AI course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choi
---

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# Exam question 2 · Asking well, being polite, knowing when to stop

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the formulation of a request most likely to elicit a useful and verifiable answer.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, elicit · **To what, where:** formulation, useful answer

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 8 «Asking well, being polite, knowing when to stop» 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/8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop:e2:1
# text = Identify the formulation of a request most likely to elicit a useful and verifiable answer.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	formulation	formulation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	8	advmod	_	_
8	likely	likely	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	elicit	elicit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
12	useful	useful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	verifiable	verifiable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	conj	_	_
15	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	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 formulation of a request |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent formulation=Theme |
| 2 | **elicit** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | a useful answer |  |  |  | likely *property* | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition answer=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A detailed request specifying steps, audience and sources

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop:e2:o1:1
# text = A detailed request specifying steps, audience and sources
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	detailed	detailed	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	specifying	specify	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
5	steps	step	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	audience	audience	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	sources	source	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **specify** | gerund | a detailed request *not said here* | steps and audience and sources |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent step=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A request consisting of a single word

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop:e2:o2:1
# text = A request consisting of a single word
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	consisting	consist	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consist** | gerund | a request *not said here* |  |  |  |  | of a single word | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A request repeated several times in quick succession

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop:e2:o3:1
# text = A request repeated several times in quick succession
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	several	several	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	times	time	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	quick	quick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	succession	succession	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | participle |  | a request *not said here* |  | quick succession | time |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A request expressed entirely in capital letters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:ai:8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop:e2:o4:1
# text = A request expressed entirely in capital letters
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	expressed	express	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	capital	capital	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **express** | participle |  | a request *not said here* |  | capital letters |  | entirely *property* | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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 -->

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- next →: [Asking well, being polite, knowing whe…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/ai/8-asking-well-and-knowing-when-to-stop/e3/)
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