---
title: Ascertain the principal idea conveyed by the lines «Who has seen the… — Reading poems: meaning, sound and pict… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal idea conveyed by the lines «Who has seen the wind? / Neither I nor you». Exam question 4 of lesson 25 «Reading poems: meaning, sound and pictures» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova'
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures/e4/)

<!-- 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/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/) / [Reading poems: meaning, sound and pict…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · Reading poems: meaning, sound and pictures

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal idea conveyed by the lines «Who has seen the wind? / Neither I nor you».

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, lines · **What happens:** ascertain, convey, see · **To what, where:** principal idea, wind

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 25 «Reading poems: meaning, sound and pictures» 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/25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Ascertain the principal idea conveyed by the lines «Who has seen the wind?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the principal idea conveyed by the lines «Who has seen the wind?
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	lines	line	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	Who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
11	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	seen	see	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	8	acl:relcl	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	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 principal idea |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent idea=Topic |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the principal idea *not said here* |  |  |  | by the lines | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **see** *in a quote* | present · perfect | the lines | the wind |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer wind=Stimulus |

<!-- .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:* / Neither I nor you».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures:e4:2
# text = / Neither I nor you».
1	/	/	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
2	Neither	neither	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	3	cc:preconj	_	_
3	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	0	root	_	_
4	nor	nor	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	5	cc	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the wind does not exist

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures:e4:o1:1
# text = That the wind does not exist
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	exist	exist	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **exist** | present · do-support | that wind |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the wind is visible only to poets

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures:e4:o2:1
# text = That the wind is visible only to poets
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	visible	visible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	only	only	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	poets	poet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | that wind |  |  |  |  | to poets; visible *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the wind is perceived through its effects rather than seen directly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures:e4:o3:1
# text = That the wind is perceived through its effects rather than seen directly
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	perceived	perceive	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	effects	effect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
9	rather	rather	ADV	RB	ExtPos=CCONJ	11	cc	_	_
10	than	than	ADP	IN	_	9	fixed	_	_
11	seen	see	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	conj	_	_
12	directly	directly	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **perceive** | present · passive |  | that wind |  | wind's effects |  |  | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S»: subject=Stimulus |
| 2 | **see** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | directly *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 3 | **effect** |  | wind |  |  |  |  |  | nom effect «phenomenon transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the poet is blind and therefore unable to perceive the weather

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures:e4:o4:1
# text = That the poet is blind and therefore unable to perceive the weather
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	poet	poet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	blind	blind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	therefore	therefore	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	perceive	perceive	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | that poet |  |  |  |  | blind *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | that poet *not said here* |  |  |  |  | therefore *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **perceive** | to-infinitive | that poet *not said here* | the weather |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer weather=Stimulus |

<!-- 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: [Reading poems: meaning, sound and pict…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures/e3/)
- next →: [Sentences: capital letters, full stops…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/26-sentences-capital-letters-full-stops-and-the-four-types/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Reading poems: meaning, sound and pictures](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures/)