---
title: It is stated that a child has been described as "spirited". Ascertai… — Soft words for hard things: relations… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is stated that a child has been described as "spirited". Ascertain the quality thereby most probably intended. Exam question 3 of lesson 14 «Soft words for hard things: relations and family and children's behaviour» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and p
---

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# Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: relations and family and child…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is stated that a child has been described as "spirited". Ascertain the quality thereby most probably intended.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** state, describe, ascertain, intend · **To what, where:** It, child, quality

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 14 «Soft words for hard things: relations and family and children's behaviour» 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/14-family-and-behaviour/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is stated that a child has been described as "spirited".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:14-family-and-behaviour:e3:1
# text = It is stated that a child has been described as "spirited".
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	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	spirited	spirited	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	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 | **state** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic |
| 2 | **describe** | present · perfect · passive |  | a child |  |  |  | spirited *property* | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=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 quality thereby most probably intended.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:14-family-and-behaviour:e3:2
# text = Ascertain the quality thereby most probably intended.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	quality	quality	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
5	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	6	advmod	_	_
6	probably	probably	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	intended	intend	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	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 quality |  |  |  | thereby *property* | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent quality=Topic |
| 2 | **intend** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | probably *property* | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A belief in supernatural beings

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:14-family-and-behaviour:e3:o1:1
# text = A belief in supernatural beings
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	belief	belief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	supernatural	supernatural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	beings	being	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Constant cheerfulness and calm

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:14-family-and-behaviour:e3:o2:1
# text = Constant cheerfulness and calm
1	Constant	constant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	cheerfulness	cheerfulness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	calm	calm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
```

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

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wilfulness and difficulty of management

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:14-family-and-behaviour:e3:o3:1
# text = Wilfulness and difficulty of management
1	Wilfulness	wilfulness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	difficulty	difficulty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	management	management	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An unusual fondness for beverages

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:14-family-and-behaviour:e3:o4:1
# text = An unusual fondness for beverages
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	unusual	unusual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	fondness	fondness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	beverages	beverage	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	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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