---
title: Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the s… — Soft words for hard things: school rep… · tree and pragmatics
description: Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the statement that a domestic cat has been "fixed", as used in the United States. Exam question 3 of lesson 17 «Soft words for hard things: school reports and teachers and animals and pets» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary scho
---

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the statement that a domestic cat has been "fixed", as used in the United States.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, statement · **What happens:** select, establish, fix, use, mean · **To what, where:** response, domestic cat, United States, statement

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 17 «Soft words for hard things: school reports and teachers and animals and pets» 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/17-school-and-pets/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:17-school-and-pets:e3:1
# text = Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the statement that a domestic cat has been "fixed", as used in the United States.
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	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
12	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	19	mark	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	domestic	domestic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj:pass	_	_
16	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
17	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	19	aux:pass	_	_
18	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	fixed	fix	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	23	punct	_	_
22	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	23	mark	_	_
23	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	19	conj	_	_
24	in	in	ADP	IN	_	27	case	_	_
25	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	27	det	_	_
26	United	United	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	27	amod	_	_
27	States	State	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	23	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	.	.	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 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 3 | **fix** *in a quote* | present · perfect · passive | the statement *not said here* | a domestic cat |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP together»: subject=Patient |
| 4 | **use** | participle | the statement *not said here* |  |  | the United States |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **mean** |  |  | the statement |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cat has been repaired following injury

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:17-school-and-pets:e3:o1:1
# text = The cat has been repaired following injury
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	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	repaired	repair	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	amod	_	_
7	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repair** | present · perfect · passive |  | the cat |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cat has been neutered or spayed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:17-school-and-pets:e3:o2:1
# text = The cat has been neutered or spayed
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	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	neutered	neuter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	spayed	spay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **neuter** | present · perfect · passive |  | the cat |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **spay** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cat has been fitted with an identification tag

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:17-school-and-pets:e3:o3:1
# text = The cat has been fitted with an identification tag
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
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	fitted	fit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	identification	identification	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	tag	tag	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fit** | present · perfect · passive |  | the cat |  |  |  | with a identification tag | vn adjust-26.9 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cat has been trained to remain stationary

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:17-school-and-pets:e3:o4:1
# text = The cat has been trained to remain stationary
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	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	trained	train	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	remain	remain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	stationary	stationary	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **train** | present · perfect · passive |  | the cat |  |  |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP to be NP»: subject=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 2 | **remain** | to-infinitive | the cat *not said here* | stationary |  |  |  |  | vn seem-109-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme stationary=Attribute |

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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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