---
title: It is given that a pupil's attainment in reading is recorded as "wor… — Soft words for hard things: children's… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a pupil's attainment in reading is recorded as "working towards" the expected standard. Ascertain the attainment thereby indicated. Exam question 2 of lesson 15 «Soft words for hard things: children's behaviour and school reports and teachers» of the euphemisms course of Mova's prim
---

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# Exam question 2 · Soft words for hard things: children's behaviour and schoo…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a pupil's attainment in reading is recorded as "working towards" the expected standard. Ascertain the attainment thereby indicated.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** pupil, you · **What happens:** give, record, work, expect, attain, ascertain · **To what, where:** It, attainment, reading

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 15 «Soft words for hard things: children's behaviour and school reports and teachers» 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/15-behaviour-and-school-reports/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a pupil's attainment in reading is recorded as "working towards" the expected standard.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:15-behaviour-and-school-reports:e2:1
# text = It is given that a pupil's attainment in reading is recorded as "working towards" the expected standard.
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	_	12	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	attainment	attainment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	reading	reading	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	recorded	record	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	_
13	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
14	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	working	work	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	advcl	_	_
16	towards	towards	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	20	punct	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
19	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	20	amod	_	_
20	standard	standard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **record** | present · passive |  | a pupil's attainment in reading |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 3 | **work** *in a quote* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | towards the expected standard | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **expect** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **attain** |  | a pupil |  |  | reading |  |  | nom attainment «act transitive»: poss=agent in=place |

<!-- .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 attainment thereby indicated.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:15-behaviour-and-school-reports:e2:2
# text = Ascertain the attainment thereby indicated.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	attainment	attainment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	indicated	indicate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	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 attainment |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent attainment=Topic |
| 2 | **indicate** | participle |  | the attainment *not said here* |  |  |  | thereby *property* | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Attainment that fully meets the expected standard

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:15-behaviour-and-school-reports:e2:o1:1
# text = Attainment that fully meets the expected standard
1	Attainment	attainment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
3	fully	fully	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	meets	meet	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	standard	standard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **meet** | present | Attainment | the expected standard |  |  |  | fully *property* | vn meet-36.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent standard=Co-Agent |
| 2 | **expect** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Attainment that cannot be assessed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:15-behaviour-and-school-reports:e2:o2:1
# text = Attainment that cannot be assessed
1	Attainment	attainment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	obj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	assessed	assess	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **assess** | can · passive |  | Attainment |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: that=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Attainment that exceeds the expected standard

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:15-behaviour-and-school-reports:e2:o3:1
# text = Attainment that exceeds the expected standard
1	Attainment	attainment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	exceeds	exceed	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	amod	_	_
6	standard	standard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exceed** | present | Attainment | the expected standard |  |  |  |  | vn exceed-90 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot standard=Theme |
| 2 | **expect** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Attainment that does not yet meet the expected standard

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:15-behaviour-and-school-reports:e2:o4:1
# text = Attainment that does not yet meet the expected standard
1	Attainment	attainment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	obj	_	_
3	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
5	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	meet	meet	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	appos	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	standard	standard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **meet** | present · do-support |  | that |  |  | yet |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **expect** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V that S»: 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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