---
title: ★★★ Which sentence uses a rhetorical question for suspense? — Building tension and suspense · tree and pragmatics
description: ★★★ Which sentence uses a rhetorical question for suspense? Test 9 · ★★ of lesson 42 «Building tension and suspense» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 9 · ★★ · Building tension and suspense

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
★★★ Which sentence uses a rhetorical question for suspense?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** ★ ★ ★ · **What happens:** use · **To what, where:** rhetorical question

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★★ of lesson 42 «Building tension and suspense» of the English course of Mova's primary school. 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/42-building-tension-and-suspense/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:1
# text = ★★★ Which sentence uses a rhetorical question for suspense?
1	★	★	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	★	★	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	★	★	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	5	det	_	_
5	sentence	sentence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	_
6	uses	use	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	rhetorical	rhetorical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	question	question	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	suspense	suspense	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | ★ ★ ★ | a rhetorical question |  |  |  | for suspense | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP PP.predicate»: agent=Agent question=Theme for suspense=Eventuality |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"Who wants pizza?" asked Dad, and all of us shouted yes at once.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:o1:1
# text = "Who wants pizza?" asked Dad, and all of us shouted yes at once.
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wants	want	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	pizza	pizza	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
7	asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
8	Dad	Dad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	iobj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
11	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	14	nsubj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	11	nmod	_	_
14	shouted	shout	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	_
15	yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	14	obj	_	_
16	at	at	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** *in a quote* | present |  | pizza |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past |  |  | Dad |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent dad=Recipient |
| 3 | **shout** *speech: express* | past | all |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent yes=Topic |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Who had left the gate open, and why was it still swinging?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:o2:1
# text = Who had left the gate open, and why was it still swinging?
1	Who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	gate	gate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	open	open	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
9	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	13	advmod	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
12	still	still	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
13	swinging	swing	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave** | past · perfect |  | the gate |  |  |  | open *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gate=Theme |
| 2 | **swing** | past · progressive | gate |  |  |  | still |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What is the capital of France? Paris.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* What is the capital of France?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:o3:1
# text = What is the capital of France?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	capital	capital	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	France	France	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the capital of France |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Paris.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:o3:2
# text = Paris.
1	Paris	Paris	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Where are my shoes? I asked Mum.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Where are my shoes?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:o4:1
# text = Where are my shoes?
1	Where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	shoes	shoe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* I asked Mum.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:42-building-tension-and-suspense:t9:o4:2
# text = I asked Mum.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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