--- title: Which of the following most accurately characterises the phrase "It… — Openings that hook the reader · tree and pragmatics description: Which of the following most accurately characterises the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night" in contemporary teaching? Exam question 2 of lesson 40 «Openings that hook the reader» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/40-openings-that-hook-the-reader/e2/) [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/) / [Openings that hook the reader](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/40-openings-that-hook-the-reader/) / e2 # Exam question 2 · Openings that hook the reader Which of the following most accurately characterises the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night" in contemporary teaching? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** phrase · **What happens:** follow, characteris, be · **To what, where:** phrase, dark night, contemporary teaching This is exam question 2 of lesson 40 «Openings that hook the reader» 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/40-openings-that-hook-the-reader/#e2). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:40-openings-that-hook-the-reader:e2:1 # text = Which of the following most accurately characterises the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night" in contemporary teaching? 1 Which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 4 nsubj _ _ 2 of of ADP IN _ 4 case _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 following follow VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 5 most most ADV RBS Degree=Sup 6 advmod _ _ 6 accurately accurately ADV RB _ 7 advmod _ _ 7 characterises characteris VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 advcl _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 phrase phrase NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obj _ _ 10 " " PUNCT `` _ 17 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 17 nsubj _ _ 12 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 17 cop _ _ 13 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 17 det _ _ 14 dark dark ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 17 amod _ _ 15 and and CCONJ CC _ 16 cc _ _ 16 stormy stormy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 14 conj _ _ 17 night night NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 18 " " PUNCT '' _ 17 punct _ _ 19 in in ADP IN _ 21 case _ _ 20 contemporary contemporary ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 21 amod _ _ 21 teaching teaching NOUN NN Number=Sing 17 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 22 ? ? PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **follow** | gerund | | | | | | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **characteris** | present | | the phrase | | | | accurately *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **is a** *in a quote* | past | phrase | a dark night | | contemporary teaching | | | tree rules | 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 {#o1} A question designed to engage the reader ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:40-openings-that-hook-the-reader:e2:o1:1 # text = A question designed to engage the reader 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 question question NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 designed design VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 2 acl _ _ 4 to to PART TO _ 5 mark _ _ 5 engage engage VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 advcl _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 reader reader NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **design** | participle | | a question *not said here* | | | | | vn create-26.4-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **engage** | to-infinitive | | the reader | | | | | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reader=Patient | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2} A cliché, owing to excessive use ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:40-openings-that-hook-the-reader:e2:o2:1 # text = A cliché, owing to excessive use 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 cliché cliché NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 3 , , PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ _ 4 owing owe VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 2 acl _ _ 5 to to ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 excessive excessive ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 amod _ _ 7 use use NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **owe** | gerund | a cliché *not said here* | | | | | to excessive use *goal* | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP PP.goal»: agent=Agent to use=Goal | ### Option 3 {#o3} An example of the passive voice ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:40-openings-that-hook-the-reader:e2:o3:1 # text = An example of the passive voice 1 An a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 example example NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 5 passive passive ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 6 amod _ _ 6 voice voice NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **exemplify** | | | the passive voice | | | | | nom example «cognition transitive»: of=patient | ### Option 4 {#o4} A model opening for all narratives ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:40-openings-that-hook-the-reader:e2:o4:1 # text = A model opening for all narratives 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 model model NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 opening open VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 2 acl _ _ 4 for for ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 all all DET DT PronType=Tot 6 det _ _ 6 narratives narrative NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **open** | gerund | a model *not said here* | | | | | for all narratives | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | **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. - ← previous: [Openings that hook the reader, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/40-openings-that-hook-the-reader/e1/) - next →: [Openings that hook the reader, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/40-openings-that-hook-the-reader/e3/) - ↑ back to [Openings that hook the reader](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/40-openings-that-hook-the-reader/)