---
title: It is given that a witness describes a person as "portly". Ascertain… — Soft words for hard things: weight and… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a witness describes a person as "portly". Ascertain the physical characteristic so described. Exam question 2 of lesson 10 «Soft words for hard things: weight and pregnancy and birth» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the q
---

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# Exam question 2 · Soft words for hard things: weight and pregnancy and birth

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a witness describes a person as "portly". Ascertain the physical characteristic so described.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** witness, you · **What happens:** give, describe, ascertain · **To what, where:** It, person, physical characteristic

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 10 «Soft words for hard things: weight and pregnancy and birth» of the euphemisms 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/euphemisms/10-weight-and-babies/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a witness describes a person as "portly".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:10-weight-and-babies:e2:1
# text = It is given that a witness describes a person as "portly".
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	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	witness	witness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	portly	portly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **describe** | present | a witness | a person |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent person=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:* Ascertain the physical characteristic so described.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:10-weight-and-babies:e2:2
# text = Ascertain the physical characteristic so described.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	physical	physical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	characteristic	characteristic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	so	so	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	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 physical characteristic |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent characteristic=Topic |
| 2 | **describe** | participle |  | the physical characteristic *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Corpulence; being fat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:10-weight-and-babies:e2:o1:1
# text = Corpulence; being fat
1	Corpulence	corpulence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	4	punct	_	_
3	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	cop	_	_
4	fat	fat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dignified manners

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:10-weight-and-babies:e2:o2:1
# text = Dignified manners
1	Dignified	dignify	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	amod	_	_
2	manners	manners	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dignify** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Considerable height

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:10-weight-and-babies:e2:o3:1
# text = Considerable height
1	Considerable	considerable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	height	height	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Employment at a harbour

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:10-weight-and-babies:e2:o4:1
# text = Employment at a harbour
1	Employment	employment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	harbour	harbour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
```

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

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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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- ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: weight and…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/10-weight-and-babies/e1/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: weight and…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/10-weight-and-babies/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: weight and pregnancy and birth](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/10-weight-and-babies/)