---
title: It is stated that a pupil is "easily distracted". Select the respons… — Soft words for hard things: school rep… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is stated that a pupil is "easily distracted". Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of this expression. Exam question 3 of lesson 16 «Soft words for hard things: school reports and teachers» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree
---

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# Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: school reports and teachers

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is stated that a pupil is "easily distracted". Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of this expression.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, response · **What happens:** state, distract, select, be, establish, mean · **To what, where:** It, pupil, response, expression · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 16 «Soft words for hard things: 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/16-school-reports/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is stated that a pupil is "easily distracted".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e3:1
# text = It is stated that a pupil is "easily distracted".
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	_	10	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	easily	easily	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	distracted	distract	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **state** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **distract** *in a quote* | present · passive |  | a pupil |  |  |  | easily *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |

<!-- .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:* Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of this expression.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e3:2
# text = Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of this expression.
1	Select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	13	det	_	_
13	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | the response |  |  |  |  | with the established meaning of this expression; consistent *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 4 | **mean** |  |  | this expression |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil is readily upset

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e3:o1:1
# text = The pupil is readily upset
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	readily	readily	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	upset	upset	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil acquires knowledge rapidly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e3:o2:1
# text = The pupil acquires knowledge rapidly
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	acquires	acquire	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	knowledge	knowledge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	rapidly	rapidly	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **acquire** | present | the pupil | knowledge |  |  |  | rapidly *property* | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent knowledge=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil is easily instructed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e3:o3:1
# text = The pupil is easily instructed
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	easily	easily	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	instructed	instruct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **instruct** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | the pupil |  |  |  | easily *property* | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil fails to pay attention

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e3:o4:1
# text = The pupil fails to pay attention
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	fails	fail	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	pay	pay	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	attention	attention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fail** | present | the pupil |  |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **not** **pay** | to-infinitive | the pupil *not said here* | attention |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent attention=Asset |

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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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