---
title: Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning… — Soft words for hard things: war, the m… · tree and pragmatics
description: Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of a "pre-emptive strike". Exam question 3 of lesson 26 «Soft words for hard things: war, the military and violence» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of e
---

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# Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: war, the military and violence

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of a "pre-emptive strike".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, response · **What happens:** select, be, establish, mean · **To what, where:** response, pre-emptive strike

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 26 «Soft words for hard things: war, the military and violence» 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/26-war-and-the-military/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:26-war-and-the-military:e3:1
# text = Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of a "pre-emptive strike".
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	_	15	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	pre-emptive	pre-emptive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	strike	strike	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 a pre-emptive strike; consistent *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 4 | **mean** |  |  | a pre-emptive strike |  |  |  |  | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An attack launched before the adversary has attacked

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:26-war-and-the-military:e3:o1:1
# text = An attack launched before the adversary has attacked
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	attack	attack	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	launched	launch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	before	before	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	adversary	adversary	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	attacked	attack	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 | **launch** | participle |  | a attack *not said here* |  | the adversary |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent before adversary=Destination |
| 2 | **attack** | present · perfect · passive |  | a attack |  |  |  |  | vn attack-60.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cessation of labour prior to payment

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:26-war-and-the-military:e3:o2:1
# text = A cessation of labour prior to payment
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cessation	cessation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	labour	labour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	prior	prior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	7	case	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	fixed	_	_
7	payment	payment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cease** |  |  | labour |  |  |  | prior payment | nom cessation «event transitive»: of=patient prior=obl |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A warning shot discharged into the air

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:26-war-and-the-military:e3:o3:1
# text = A warning shot discharged into the air
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	warning	warning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	shot	shot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	discharged	discharge	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	into	into	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **discharge** | participle |  | a warning shot *not said here* |  | the air |  |  | vn banish-10.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A retaliation subsequent to an attack by the adversary

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:26-war-and-the-military:e3:o4:1
# text = A retaliation subsequent to an attack by the adversary
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	retaliation	retaliation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	subsequent	subsequent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	attack	attack	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	adversary	adversary	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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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