---
title: It is stated that a character's hands trembled as he opened a letter… — Inference: reading between the lines · tree and pragmatics
description: It is stated that a character's hands trembled as he opened a letter. Identify the inference best supported by this evidence. Exam question 2 of lesson 18 «Inference: reading between the lines» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question an
---

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# Exam question 2 · Inference: reading between the lines

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is stated that a character's hands trembled as he opened a letter. Identify the inference best supported by this evidence.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** hands, he, you · **What happens:** state, tremble, open, identify, support · **To what, where:** It, letter, inference · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 18 «Inference: reading between the lines» of the English 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/english/18-inference-reading-between-the-lines/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is stated that a character's hands trembled as he opened a letter.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:18-inference-reading-between-the-lines:e2:1
# text = It is stated that a character's hands trembled as he opened a letter.
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	stated	state	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	trembled	tremble	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	opened	open	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	advcl	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **state** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **tremble** | past | a character's hands |  |  |  |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **open** | past | he | a letter |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location letter=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:* Identify the inference best supported by this evidence.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:18-inference-reading-between-the-lines:e2:2
# text = Identify the inference best supported by this evidence.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	inference	inference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	best	well	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	5	advmod	_	_
5	supported	support	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	8	det	_	_
8	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	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 inference |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent inference=Theme |
| 2 | **support** | participle |  | the inference *not said here* |  |  |  | by this evidence; well *property* | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the character was cold, the weather being wintry and the house unheated

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:18-inference-reading-between-the-lines:e2:o1:1
# text = That the character was cold, the weather being wintry and the house unheated
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	cold	cold	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	cop	_	_
10	wintry	wintry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	house	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
14	unheated	unheated	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | that character |  |  |  |  | cold *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | gerund | the weather |  |  |  |  | wintry *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **be** |  | the house |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the letter was empty

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:18-inference-reading-between-the-lines:e2:o2:1
# text = That the letter was empty
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	empty	empty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | that letter |  |  |  |  | empty *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the character was asleep

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:18-inference-reading-between-the-lines:e2:o3:1
# text = That the character was asleep
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	asleep	asleep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | that character |  |  |  |  | asleep *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the character was nervous

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:18-inference-reading-between-the-lines:e2:o4:1
# text = That the character was nervous
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	nervous	nervous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | that character |  |  |  |  | nervous *property* | tree rules |

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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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