---
title: Identify the principal reason for which an alteration in tone modifi… — The four tones: same sound, different… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which an alteration in tone modifies the meaning of a Mandarin syllable. Exam question 1 of lesson 2 «The four tones: same sound, different meaning» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of
---

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# Exam question 1 · The four tones: same sound, different meaning

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which an alteration in tone modifies the meaning of a Mandarin syllable.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, alteration · **What happens:** identify, modify, mean · **To what, where:** principal reason, meaning, Mandarin syllable

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 2 «The four tones: same sound, different meaning» of the Chinese street 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/chinese-street/2-the-four-tones/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which an alteration in tone modifies the meaning of a Mandarin syllable.
1	Identify	identify	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	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	alteration	alteration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	tone	tone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
11	modifies	modify	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	Mandarin	mandarin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	syllable	syllable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	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 principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **modify** | present | a alteration in tone | the meaning of a Mandarin syllable |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent meaning=Patient |
| 3 | **mean** |  |  | a Mandarin syllable |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=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 -->
The tonal contour constitutes an integral component of the word itself

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:e1:o1:1
# text = The tonal contour constitutes an integral component of the word itself
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	tonal	tonal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	contour	contour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	constitutes	constitute	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	integral	integral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	component	component	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Emp|Reflex=Yes	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **constitute** | present | the tonal contour | a integral component of the word  contour |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme component=Pivot |
| 2 | **compose** |  |  | the word  contour |  |  |  |  | nom component «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tones are employed exclusively in interrogative sentences

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:e1:o2:1
# text = Tones are employed exclusively in interrogative sentences
1	Tones	tone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	interrogative	interrogative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	sentences	sentence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **employ** | present · passive |  | Tones |  | interrogative sentences |  | exclusively *property* | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tonal variation merely conveys the emotional state of the speaker

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:e1:o3:1
# text = Tonal variation merely conveys the emotional state of the speaker
1	Tonal	tonal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	variation	variation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	merely	merely	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	conveys	convey	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	emotional	emotional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	state	state	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	speaker	speaker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **convey** | present | Tonal variation | the emotional state of the speaker |  |  |  | merely *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent state=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tones are relevant solely to the written language

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:e1:o4:1
# text = Tones are relevant solely to the written language
1	Tones	tone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	relevant	relevant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	written	write	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Tones |  |  |  |  | to the written language; relevant, solely *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **write** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: 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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