---
title: It is given that a municipal authority is described as "cash-strappe… — Soft words for hard things: money and… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a municipal authority is described as "cash-strapped". Identify the principal meaning of this description. Exam question 2 of lesson 19 «Soft words for hard things: money and poverty» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the q
---

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# Exam question 2 · Soft words for hard things: money and poverty

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a municipal authority is described as "cash-strapped". Identify the principal meaning of this description.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** give, describe, strap, identify, mean · **To what, where:** It, municipal authority, principal meaning, description · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 19 «Soft words for hard things: money and poverty» 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/19-money-and-poverty/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a municipal authority is described as "cash-strapped".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:19-money-and-poverty:e2:1
# text = It is given that a municipal authority is described as "cash-strapped".
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	_	9	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	municipal	municipal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	authority	authority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	cash	cash	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	strapped	strap	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **describe** | present · passive |  | a municipal authority |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP to be ADJ»: subject=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 3 | **strap** *in a quote* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn tape-22.4 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Identify the principal meaning of this description.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:19-money-and-poverty:e2:2
# text = Identify the principal meaning of this description.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	7	det	_	_
7	description	description	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal meaning of this description |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** |  |  | this description |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The authority has insufficient funds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:19-money-and-poverty:e2:o1:1
# text = The authority has insufficient funds
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	authority	authority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	insufficient	insufficient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	funds	fund	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | the authority | insufficient funds |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fund=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The authority has recently received payment

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:19-money-and-poverty:e2:o2:1
# text = The authority has recently received payment
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	authority	authority	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	recently	recently	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	received	receive	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	payment	payment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **receive** | present · perfect · passive |  | the authority |  |  |  | recently *property* | vn admit-64.3-1 «NP V NP ADV»: subject=Theme payment=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The authority accepts payment in cash only

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:19-money-and-poverty:e2:o3:1
# text = The authority accepts payment in cash only
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	authority	authority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	accepts	accept	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	payment	payment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	cash	cash	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The authority retains its funds in a secured box

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:19-money-and-poverty:e2:o4:1
# text = The authority retains its funds in a secured box
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	authority	authority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	retains	retain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	funds	fund	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	secured	secure	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **retain** | present | the authority | authority's funds |  | a secured box |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **secure** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **fund** |  | authority |  |  |  |  |  | nom fund «possession transitive»: poss=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.

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