---
title: Ascertain the reason for which the presentation of a green hat to a… — Colours · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which the presentation of a green hat to a man is to be avoided. Exam question 2 of lesson 8 «Colours» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/8-colours/e2/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Chinese street](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/) / [Colours](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/8-colours/) / e2

# Exam question 2 · Colours

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which the presentation of a green hat to a man is to be avoided.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, avoid, present · **To what, where:** reason, presentation, green hat

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 8 «Colours» 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/8-colours/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:8-colours:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which the presentation of a green hat to a man is to be avoided.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	18	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	presentation	presentation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	green	green	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	hat	hat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
12	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	aux:pass	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
17	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	18	aux:pass	_	_
18	avoided	avoid	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **avoid** | present · passive | you *not said here* | the presentation of a green hat to a man |  |  |  | for the reason | vn avoid-52 «NP V NP.location»: subject=Location |
| 3 | **present** |  |  | a green hat to a man |  |  |  |  | nom presentation «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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is a well-known jest concerning a man made a fool of

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:8-colours:e2:o1:1
# text = It is a well-known jest concerning a man made a fool of
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
4	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	known	know	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	jest	jest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
8	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	fool	fool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** | present | It | a known jest |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **concern** | gerund | a known jest *not said here* | a man |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus man=Experiencer |
| 4 | **make** | past | a known jest | a fool |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset fool=Product |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Green is the colour customarily worn in mourning

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:8-colours:e2:o2:1
# text = Green is the colour customarily worn in mourning
1	Green	green	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	customarily	customarily	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	worn	wear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	mourning	mourning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Green | the colour |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **wear** | participle |  | the colour *not said here* |  | mourning |  | customarily *property* | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V PP-Conative»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Green signifies poverty

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:8-colours:e2:o3:1
# text = Green signifies poverty
1	Green	green	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	signifies	signify	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	poverty	poverty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **signify** | present | Green | poverty |  |  |  |  | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot poverty=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hats may not be given as gifts under any circumstances

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:8-colours:e2:o4:1
# text = Hats may not be given as gifts under any circumstances
1	Hats	hat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	gifts	gift	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
8	under	under	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	10	det	_	_
10	circumstances	circumstance	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **give** | may · passive |  | Hats |  | any circumstances |  | as gifts | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Colours, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/8-colours/e1/)
- next →: [Colours, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/8-colours/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Colours](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/8-colours/)