---
title: Pursuant to the insurer's correspondence, the destruction of the dwe… — Soft words for hard things: drinking a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Pursuant to the insurer's correspondence, the destruction of the dwelling is attributed to "an act of God". Identify the meaning of this expression. Exam question 1 of lesson 31 «Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religion and fate» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, 
---

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# Exam question 1 · Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religio…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pursuant to the insurer's correspondence, the destruction of the dwelling is attributed to "an act of God". Identify the meaning of this expression.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** insurer, God, you · **What happens:** attribute, correspond, destroy, act, identify, mean · **To what, where:** correspondence, dwelling, meaning, expression

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 31 «Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religion and fate» 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/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/#e1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Pursuant to the insurer's correspondence, the destruction of the dwelling is attributed to "an act of God".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:e1:1
# text = Pursuant to the insurer's correspondence, the destruction of the dwelling is attributed to "an act of God".
1	Pursuant	pursuant	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
2	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	insurer	insurer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	correspondence	correspondence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	dwelling	dwelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	attributed	attribute	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
16	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	act	act	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	xcomp	_	_
19	of	of	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	God	God	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attribute** | present · passive |  | the insurer's correspondence |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **correspond** |  | the insurer |  |  |  |  |  | nom correspondence «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |
| 3 | **destroy** |  |  | the dwelling |  |  |  |  | nom destruction «act transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **act** *in a quote* |  | God |  |  |  |  |  | nom act «communication intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- .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 meaning of this expression.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:e1:2
# text = Identify the meaning of this expression.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	6	det	_	_
6	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	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 meaning of this expression |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** |  |  | this expression |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An act of vandalism committed by persons unknown

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:e1:o1:1
# text = An act of vandalism committed by persons unknown
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	act	act	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	vandalism	vandalism	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	committed	commit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
8	unknown	unknown	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **commit** | participle |  | a act of vandalism *not said here* |  |  |  | by persons | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **act** |  | vandalism |  |  |  |  |  | nom act «communication intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A deliberate act committed by a member of the clergy

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:e1:o2:1
# text = A deliberate act committed by a member of the clergy
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	deliberate	deliberate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	act	act	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	committed	commit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	member	member	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl:agent	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	clergy	clergy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **commit** | participle |  | a deliberate act *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A natural disaster for which no person can be held liable

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:e1:o3:1
# text = A natural disaster for which no person can be held liable
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	natural	natural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	disaster	disaster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
6	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	7	det	_	_
7	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	held	hold	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
11	liable	liable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | can · passive |  | a natural disaster for no person |  |  |  | liable *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A miraculous event resulting in the preservation of property

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:e1:o4:1
# text = A miraculous event resulting in the preservation of property
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	miraculous	miraculous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	resulting	result	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	preservation	preservation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	property	property	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **result** | gerund | a miraculous event *not said here* |  |  | the preservation of property |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in preservation=Location |
| 2 | **preserve** |  |  | property |  |  |  |  | nom preservation «act transitive»: of=patient |

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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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