---
title: It is given that a free soap bubble invariably assumes a spherical f… — Soap and why washing works · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a free soap bubble invariably assumes a spherical form. Ascertain the principal reason. Exam question 2 of lesson 24 «Soap and why washing works» of the chemistry 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 · Soap and why washing works

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a free soap bubble invariably assumes a spherical form. Ascertain the principal reason.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** free soap bubble, you · **What happens:** give, assume, ascertain · **To what, where:** It, spherical form, principal reason

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 24 «Soap and why washing works» of the chemistry 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/chemistry/24-soap-and-why-washing-works/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a free soap bubble invariably assumes a spherical form.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:24-soap-and-why-washing-works:e2:1
# text = It is given that a free soap bubble invariably assumes a spherical form.
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	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
6	free	free	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	soap	soap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	bubble	bubble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	invariably	invariably	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	assumes	assume	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	spherical	spherical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **assume** | present | a free soap bubble | a spherical form |  |  |  | invariably *property* | vn adopt-93.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent form=Theme |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Ascertain the principal reason.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:24-soap-and-why-washing-works:e2:2
# text = Ascertain the principal reason.
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	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The mixture is spherical within its container

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:24-soap-and-why-washing-works:e2:o1:1
# text = The mixture is spherical within its container
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mixture	mixture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	spherical	spherical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	within	within	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	container	container	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the mixture |  |  |  |  | within mixture's container; spherical *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A sphere encloses the air with the smallest surface

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:24-soap-and-why-washing-works:e2:o2:1
# text = A sphere encloses the air with the smallest surface
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	sphere	sphere	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	encloses	enclose	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	smallest	small	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	9	amod	_	_
9	surface	surface	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **enclose** | present | a sphere | the air |  |  |  | with the smallest surface | vn contiguous\_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme air=Co-Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The wind removes the corners of other shapes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:24-soap-and-why-washing-works:e2:o3:1
# text = The wind removes the corners of other shapes
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	removes	remove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	corners	corner	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	shapes	shape	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present | the wind | the corners of other shapes |  |  |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent corner=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The air within is heavier at the centre

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:24-soap-and-why-washing-works:e2:o4:1
# text = The air within is heavier at the centre
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	within	within	ADP	IN	_	2	nmod	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	heavier	heavy	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	centre	centre	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

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

<!-- 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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