---
title: Whereas a pupil is reported to be "approaching standard" in the Unit… — Soft words for hard things: school rep… · tree and pragmatics
description: Whereas a pupil is reported to be "approaching standard" in the United States, determine what is in fact being communicated. Exam question 4 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 and pragmati
---

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# Exam question 4 · Soft words for hard things: school reports and teachers

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Whereas a pupil is reported to be "approaching standard" in the United States, determine what is in fact being communicated.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **What happens:** report, be, determine, communicate · **To what, where:** pupil, United States, fact

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e4:1
# text = Whereas a pupil is reported to be "approaching standard" in the United States, determine what is in fact being communicated.
1	Whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	reported	report	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	cop	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	approaching	approach	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
10	standard	standard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	United	United	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	States	State	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
17	determine	determine	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	conj	_	_
18	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	21	nsubj	_	_
19	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	cop	_	_
20	in	in	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
21	fact	fact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	ccomp	_	_
22	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	23	aux:pass	_	_
23	communicated	communicate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	21	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **report** | present · passive |  | a pupil |  |  |  |  | vn prosecute-33.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | to-infinitive |  |  |  | the United States |  | approach *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **determine** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **is** | present |  |  |  | fact |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **communicate** | gerund · passive |  | fact *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1 «NP V» |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil has been awarded a distinction

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e4:o1:1
# text = The pupil has been awarded a distinction
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	awarded	award	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	distinction	distinction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **award** | present · perfect · passive |  | the pupil |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.goal NP»: subject=Goal distinction=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil has not yet reached the required level

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e4:o2:1
# text = The pupil has not yet reached the required level
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	has	have	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	reached	reach	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	required	require	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	level	level	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **reach** | present · perfect · passive |  | the pupil |  |  | yet |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP.beneficiary NP»: subject=Beneficiary level=Theme |
| 2 | **require** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil has exceeded the required level

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e4:o3:1
# text = The pupil has exceeded the required level
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	exceeded	exceed	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	required	require	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	level	level	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exceed** | present · perfect · passive |  | the pupil |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **require** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pupil is physically nearing a building

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:16-school-reports:e4:o4:1
# text = The pupil is physically nearing a building
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	aux	_	_
4	physically	physically	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	nearing	near	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	building	building	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **near** | present · progressive | the pupil | a building |  |  |  | physically *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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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- ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: school rep…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/16-school-reports/e3/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: school rep…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/17-school-and-pets/t1/)
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