---
title: Which description most precisely characterises the function of the s… — pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which description most precisely characterises the function of the switch as provided by the Holy Man? Exam question 3 of lesson 1215 «pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake cock, a magic switch, and a new tale begins» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmat
---

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# Exam question 3 · pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake cock, a magic switch…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which description most precisely characterises the function of the switch as provided by the Holy Man?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** description · **What happens:** characteris, provide · **To what, where:** function

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 1215 «pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake cock, a magic switch, and a new tale begins» of the books 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/books/1215-pg3282-part16/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1215-pg3282-part16:e3:1
# text = Which description most precisely characterises the function of the switch as provided by the Holy Man?
1	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	description	description	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	4	advmod	_	_
4	precisely	precisely	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	switch	switch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
12	provided	provide	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
13	by	by	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	Holy	Holy	PROPN	NNP	_	16	compound	_	_
16	Man	Man	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **characteris** | present | which description | the function of the switch |  |  |  | precisely *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **provide** | participle | which description *not said here* |  |  |  |  | by the Holy Man | vn ensure-99 «NP V that S»: agent=Precondition |

<!-- .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 gives blows whenever someone opens the bag

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1215-pg3282-part16:e3:o1:1
# text = It gives blows whenever someone opens the bag
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	gives	give	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	blows	blow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	whenever	whenever	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	6	advmod	_	_
5	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	nsubj	_	_
6	opens	open	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	bag	bag	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present | It | blows |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent blow=Theme |
| 2 | **open** | present | someone | the bag |  |  |  | whenever *property* | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location bag=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It strikes whoever is nearby

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1215-pg3282-part16:e3:o2:1
# text = It strikes whoever is nearby
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	strikes	strike	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	whoever	whoever	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	2	ccomp	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
5	nearby	nearby	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **strike** | present | It |  |  |  |  | nearby *property* | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | present |  | whoever |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It administers blows when its command is spoken

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1215-pg3282-part16:e3:o3:1
# text = It administers blows when its command is spoken
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	administers	administer	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	blows	blow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	8	mark	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	command	command	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	spoken	speak	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **administer** | present | It | blows |  |  |  |  | vn contribute-13.2-1-1 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent blow=Theme |
| 2 | **speak** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | its command |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **command** |  | its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom command «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It hits on command

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1215-pg3282-part16:e3:o4:1
# text = It hits on command
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	hits	hit	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	command	command	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hit** | present | It |  |  | command |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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: [pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1215-pg3282-part16/e2/)
- next →: [pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1215-pg3282-part16/e4/)
- ↑ back to [pg3282 tales, Father Grumbler: a fake cock, a magic switch, and a new tale begins](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1215-pg3282-part16/)