---
title: It is given that Dmitri Mendeleev left vacant positions within his p… — Famous discoveries told as stories · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that Dmitri Mendeleev left vacant positions within his periodic table. Ascertain the purpose of the said vacancies. Exam question 3 of lesson 35 «Famous discoveries told as stories» of the chemistry course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question 
---

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# Exam question 3 · Famous discoveries told as stories

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that Dmitri Mendeleev left vacant positions within his periodic table. Ascertain the purpose of the said vacancies.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Dmitri, you, said vacancies · **What happens:** give, leave, ascertain, say, purpose · **To what, where:** It, vacant positions, purpose · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 35 «Famous discoveries told as stories» 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/35-famous-discoveries-stories/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that Dmitri Mendeleev left vacant positions within his periodic table.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:35-famous-discoveries-stories:e3:1
# text = It is given that Dmitri Mendeleev left vacant positions within his periodic table.
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	_	7	mark	_	_
5	Dmitri	Dmitri	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	Mendeleev	Mendeleev	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	flat	_	_
7	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
8	vacant	vacant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	positions	position	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
10	within	within	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
12	periodic	periodic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	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 |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **leave** | past | Dmitri | vacant positions |  |  |  | within Dmitri's periodic table | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent position=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 purpose of the said vacancies.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:35-famous-discoveries-stories:e3:2
# text = Ascertain the purpose of the said vacancies.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	vacancies	vacancy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	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 purpose of the said vacancies |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent purpose=Topic |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **purpose** |  | the said vacancies |  |  |  |  |  | nom purpose «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To indicate elements known to be poisonous

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:35-famous-discoveries-stories:e3:o1:1
# text = To indicate elements known to be poisonous
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	indicate	indicate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	elements	element	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	known	know	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
6	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	cop	_	_
7	poisonous	poisonous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** | to-infinitive |  | elements |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot element=Topic |
| 2 | **know** | participle |  | elements *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 3 | **is** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | poisonous *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To separate metals from gases

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:35-famous-discoveries-stories:e3:o2:1
# text = To separate metals from gases
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	separate	separate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	metals	metal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	gases	gas	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **separate** | to-infinitive |  | metals |  |  |  | from gases | vn separate-23.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: agent=Agent metal=Patient from gas=Co-Patient |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To mark elements discovered by alchemists

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:35-famous-discoveries-stories:e3:o3:1
# text = To mark elements discovered by alchemists
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	mark	mark	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	elements	element	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	discovered	discover	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	alchemists	alchemist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mark** | to-infinitive |  | elements |  |  |  |  | vn image\_impression-25.1 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent element=Destination |
| 2 | **discover** | participle |  | elements *not said here* |  |  |  | by alchemists | vn discover-84-1 «NP V PP.topic S\_ING»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To accommodate elements not yet discovered

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:35-famous-discoveries-stories:e3:o4:1
# text = To accommodate elements not yet discovered
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	accommodate	accommodate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	elements	element	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
5	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	discovered	discover	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 | **accommodate** | to-infinitive |  | elements |  |  |  |  | vn adjust-26.9 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent element=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **discover** | participle |  |  |  |  | yet |  | vn discover-84-1 «NP V PP.topic S\_ING»: agent=Agent |

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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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