---
title: In respect of an organisation's statement that a data loss was attri… — Soft words for hard things: failure an… · tree and pragmatics
description: In respect of an organisation's statement that a data loss was attributable to "human error", identify the meaning of the expression. Exam question 1 of lesson 33 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragma
---

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# Exam question 1 · Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In respect of an organisation's statement that a data loss was attributable to "human error", identify the meaning of the expression.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** data loss, you, organisation · **What happens:** be, identify, respect, state, mean · **To what, where:** statement, meaning, respect, expression

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 33 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes» 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/33-failure-and-mistakes/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:33-failure-and-mistakes:e1:1
# text = In respect of an organisation's statement that a data loss was attributable to "human error", identify the meaning of the expression.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	organisation	organisation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	data	data	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	loss	loss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
12	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	attributable	attributable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	acl	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
15	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	human	human	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	error	error	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
20	identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obj	_	_
23	of	of	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
24	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	25	det	_	_
25	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	20	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | a data loss | a organisation's statement *not said here* |  |  |  | human error *obl*; attributable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the meaning of the expression |  | respect of a organisation's statement |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 3 | **respect** |  |  | a organisation's statement |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **state** |  | a organisation |  |  |  |  |  | nom statement «communication transitive»: poss=agent |
| 5 | **mean** |  |  | the expression |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
A mistake was committed by a person whose identity is not disclosed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:33-failure-and-mistakes:e1:o1:1
# text = A mistake was committed by a person whose identity is not disclosed
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	committed	commit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	whose	whose	PRON	WP$	Poss=Yes|PronType=Rel	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	identity	identity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	disclosed	disclose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **commit** | past · passive | a person | a mistake |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **disclose** | present · passive |  | identity |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fault originated exclusively within automated machinery

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:33-failure-and-mistakes:e1:o2:1
# text = The fault originated exclusively within automated machinery
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fault	fault	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	originated	originate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	within	within	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	automated	automated	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	machinery	machinery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **originate** | past | the fault |  |  |  |  | within automated machinery; exclusively *property* | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No mistake whatsoever was committed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:33-failure-and-mistakes:e1:o3:1
# text = No mistake whatsoever was committed
1	No	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	2	det	_	_
2	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	committed	committed	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | no mistake |  |  |  |  | committed *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The loss was occasioned by adverse weather

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:33-failure-and-mistakes:e1:o4:1
# text = The loss was occasioned by adverse weather
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	loss	loss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	occasioned	occasion	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	adverse	adverse	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **occasion** | past · passive | adverse weather | the loss |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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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- ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: failure an…, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/33-failure-and-mistakes/t12/)
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