---
title: It is given that a public official asserts that he "misremembered" t… — Soft words for hard things: failure an… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a public official asserts that he "misremembered" the circumstances of an occurrence. Which of the following most accurately characterises the likely import of this assertion? Exam question 3 of lesson 34 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes» of the euphemisms course of
---

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# Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a public official asserts that he "misremembered" the circumstances of an occurrence. Which of the following most accurately characterises the likely import of this assertion?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** public official, official · **What happens:** give, assert, misremember, follow, be · **To what, where:** It, circumstances · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 34 «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/34-failure-and-mistakes/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a public official asserts that he "misremembered" the circumstances of an occurrence.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e3:1
# text = It is given that a public official asserts that he "misremembered" the circumstances of an occurrence.
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	_	8	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	official	official	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	asserts	assert	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
9	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
10	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	misremembered	misremember	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	circumstances	circumstance	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	occurrence	occurrence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	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 | **assert** | present | a public official |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **misremember** *in a quote* | past | official | the circumstances of a occurrence |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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:* Which of the following most accurately characterises the likely import of this assertion?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e3:2
# text = Which of the following most accurately characterises the likely import of this assertion?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	case	_	_
5	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	6	advmod	_	_
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
7	characterises	characteris	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	likely	likely	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	import	import	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	13	det	_	_
13	assertion	assertion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | of the likely import; of this assertion; accurately *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The official declined to provide any account

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e3:o1:1
# text = The official declined to provide any account
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	official	official	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	declined	decline	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	provide	provide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	7	det	_	_
7	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **decline** | past | the official |  |  |  |  |  | vn reject-77.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **provide** | to-infinitive | the official *not said here* | any account |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition account=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The official provided an exceptionally accurate account

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e3:o2:1
# text = The official provided an exceptionally accurate account
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	official	official	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	provided	provide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	exceptionally	exceptionally	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	accurate	accurate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **provide** | past | the official | a accurate account |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition account=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The official suffers from a diagnosed disorder of memory

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e3:o3:1
# text = The official suffers from a diagnosed disorder of memory
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	official	official	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	suffers	suffer	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	diagnosed	diagnose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	disorder	disorder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	memory	memory	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **suffer** | present | the official |  |  | a diagnosed disorder of memory |  |  | vn marvel-31.3 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **diagnose** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **disorder** |  |  | memory |  |  |  |  | nom disorder «state transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The official provided a false account

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e3:o4:1
# text = The official provided a false account
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	official	official	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	provided	provide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	false	false	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **provide** | past | the official | a false account |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition account=Theme |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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