--- title: An old newspaper: "The plan was built for plausible deniability." Wh… — Soft words for hard things: politics a… · tree and pragmatics description: An old newspaper: "The plan was built for plausible deniability." What does it suggest? Test 10 · ★ of lesson 24 «Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; M --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/t10/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Euphemisms](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/) / [Soft words for hard things: politics a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/) / t10 # Test 10 · ★ · Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin An old newspaper: "The plan was built for plausible deniability." What does it suggest? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** old newspaper, plan · **What happens:** build, suggest · **To what, where:** plan This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 24 «Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school. 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/24-government-spin/#t10). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* An old newspaper: "The plan was built for plausible deniability." ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:t10:1 # text = An old newspaper: "The plan was built for plausible deniability." 1 An a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 old old ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 amod _ _ 3 newspaper newspaper NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 4 : : PUNCT : _ 9 punct _ _ 5 " " PUNCT `` _ 9 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 plan plan NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 nsubj:pass _ _ 8 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 9 aux:pass _ _ 9 built build VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 acl:relcl _ _ 10 for for ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 11 plausible plausible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 12 amod _ _ 12 deniability deniability NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 13 . . PUNCT . _ 12 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 14 " " PUNCT '' _ 12 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **build** *in a quote* | past · passive | a old newspaper *not said here* | the plan | | | | for plausible deniability | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP P.asset»: subject=Product for deniability=Asset | 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. *Sentence 2:* What does it suggest? ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:t10:2 # text = What does it suggest? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 4 obj _ _ 2 does do AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 4 suggest suggest VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 ? ? PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **suggest** *speech: suggest* | present · do-support | plan | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1} Leaders could claim they did not know ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:t10:o1:1 # text = Leaders could claim they did not know 1 Leaders leader NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 nsubj _ _ 2 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 claim claim VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 7 nsubj _ _ 5 did do AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 7 aux _ _ 6 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 7 advmod _ _ 7 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 ccomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **claim** *speech: other* | could | Leaders | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **not** **know** | past · do-support | Leaders *= leader* | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer | ### Option 2 {#o2} The plan was on the news ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:t10:o2:1 # text = The plan was on the news 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 plan plan NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 nsubj _ _ 3 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 6 cop _ _ 4 on on ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 news news NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | the plan | | | the news | | | tree rules | ### Option 3 {#o3} The plan was very believable to everyone ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:t10:o3:1 # text = The plan was very believable to everyone 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 plan plan NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj _ _ 3 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 4 very very ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 5 believable believable ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 6 to to ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 7 everyone everyone PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Tot 5 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | the plan | | | | | to everyone; believable *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} Nobody could deny the plan ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:t10:o4:1 # text = Nobody could deny the plan 1 Nobody nobody PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 3 nsubj _ _ 2 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 deny deny VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 plan plan NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **deny** | could | Nobody | the plan | | | | | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent plan=Eventuality | **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. 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