---
title: Ascertain the appropriate response of a bystander to the mimicry of… — Words that hurt — what they mean, neve… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the appropriate response of a bystander to the mimicry of purported "Chinese" speech or the pulling of one's eyes directed at a classmate. Exam question 4 of lesson 24 «Words that hurt — what they mean, never to be said» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school, with the depen
---

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# Exam question 4 · Words that hurt — what they mean, never to be said

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the appropriate response of a bystander to the mimicry of purported "Chinese" speech or the pulling of one's eyes directed at a classmate.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, purport, direct, pull · **To what, where:** appropriate response, eyes

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 24 «Words that hurt — what they mean, never to be said» 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/24-words-that-hurt/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:24-words-that-hurt:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the appropriate response of a bystander to the mimicry of purported "Chinese" speech or the pulling of one's eyes directed at a classmate.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	appropriate	appropriate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	bystander	bystander	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	mimicry	mimicry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
12	purported	purport	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	16	amod	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	Chinese	Chinese	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
16	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
17	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	pulling	pulling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	conj	_	_
20	of	of	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
21	one	one	PRON	PRP	Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	23	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	's	's	PART	POS	_	21	case	_	_
23	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	nmod	_	_
24	directed	direct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	23	acl	_	_
25	at	at	ADP	IN	_	27	case	_	_
26	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	27	det	_	_
27	classmate	classmate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	obl:agent	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	.	.	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 appropriate response of a bystander |  |  |  | to the mimicry of purported Chinese speech or the pulling of one's eyes | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Topic |
| 2 | **purport** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **direct** | participle |  | one's eyes *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn performance-26.7 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **pull** |  |  | one's eyes |  |  |  |  | nom pulling «act 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 -->
To support the classmate and inform a teacher

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:24-words-that-hurt:e4:o1:1
# text = To support the classmate and inform a teacher
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	support	support	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	classmate	classmate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	inform	inform	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **support** | to-infinitive |  | the classmate |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer classmate=Stimulus |
| 2 | **inform** *speech: other* | infinitive |  |  | a teacher |  |  |  | vn tell-37.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent teacher=Recipient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To disregard the matter entirely

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:24-words-that-hurt:e4:o2:1
# text = To disregard the matter entirely
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	disregard	disregard	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **disregard** | to-infinitive |  | the matter |  |  |  | entirely *property* | vn neglect-75.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent matter=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To retaliate with insults towards the perpetrator's family

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:24-words-that-hurt:e4:o3:1
# text = To retaliate with insults towards the perpetrator's family
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	retaliate	retaliate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	insults	insult	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
5	towards	towards	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	perpetrator	perpetrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **retaliate** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | with insults; towards the perpetrator's family | vn respond-113 «NP V PP.predicate»: agent=Agent with insult=Eventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To join in the merriment

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:24-words-that-hurt:e4:o4:1
# text = To join in the merriment
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	join	join	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	merriment	merriment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **join** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | in the merriment | vn cooperate-73.1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent in merriment=Theme |

<!-- 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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