---
title: According to the passage, what was the precise cause of the uncle's… — Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an av… · tree and pragmatics
description: According to the passage, what was the precise cause of the uncle's death? Exam question 3 of lesson 855 «Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an avalanche kills the uncle, and Rudy becomes the family's hunter and guide» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmati
---

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# Exam question 3 · Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an avalanche kills the un…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
According to the passage, what was the precise cause of the uncle's death?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** passage, uncle · **What happens:** accord, be, die · **To what, where:** precise cause

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 855 «Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an avalanche kills the uncle, and Rudy becomes the family's hunter and guide» 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/855-pg27200-part66/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e3:1
# text = According to the passage, what was the precise cause of the uncle's death?
1	According	accord	VERB	VBG	ExtPos=ADP|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	case	_	_
2	to	to	ADP	IN	_	1	fixed	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
6	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	10	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	precise	precise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	uncle	uncle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	's	's	PART	POS	_	13	case	_	_
15	death	death	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **accord** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | the passage and the precise cause | the precise cause |  |  |  | of the uncle's death | tree rules |
| 3 | **die** |  | the uncle |  |  |  |  |  | nom death «event intransitive»: poss=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 -->
He was struck by a flying stone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e3:o1:1
# text = He was struck by a flying stone
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	struck	strike	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	flying	fly	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	amod	_	_
7	stone	stone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **strike** | past · passive | a flying stone | He |  |  |  |  | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent subject=Instrument |
| 2 | **fly** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His neck broke when he hit the rocky ground below

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e3:o2:1
# text = His neck broke when he hit the rocky ground below
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	neck	neck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	broke	break	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
5	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	hit	hit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	rocky	rocky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	below	below	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | past | His neck |  |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **hit** | past | neck | the rocky ground |  |  |  | below *property* | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme ground=Co-Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His chest was crushed by the full weight of the avalanche debris

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e3:o3:1
# text = His chest was crushed by the full weight of the avalanche debris
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	chest	chest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	crushed	crush	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	avalanche	avalanche	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	debris	debris	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **crush** | past · passive | the full weight of the avalanche debris | His chest |  |  |  |  | vn carve-21.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His skull was fractured by the falling branches of the overthrown trees

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e3:o4:1
# text = His skull was fractured by the falling branches of the overthrown trees
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	skull	skull	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	fractured	fracture	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	falling	fall	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	amod	_	_
8	branches	branch	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	overthrown	overthrown	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fracture** | past · passive | the falling branches of the overthrown trees | His skull |  |  |  |  | vn break-45.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |
| 2 | **fall** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «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.

<!-- /div -->

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