---
title: It is given that an outcome is described as "a happy accident". Whic… — Soft words for hard things: failure an… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that an outcome is described as "a happy accident". Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the outcome? Exam question 3 of lesson 35 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes and stupidity and madness» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, wi
---

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that an outcome is described as "a happy accident". Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the outcome?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** give, describe, follow, characteris · **To what, where:** It, outcome

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 35 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes and stupidity and madness» 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/35-mistakes-and-stupidity/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that an outcome is described as "a happy accident".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:35-mistakes-and-stupidity:e3:1
# text = It is given that an outcome is described as "a happy accident".
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	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	outcome	outcome	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
10	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	happy	happy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	accident	accident	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 | **describe** | present · passive |  | a outcome |  |  |  | as a happy accident | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=Theme as accident=Attribute |

<!-- .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 statements most accurately characterises the outcome?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:35-mistakes-and-stupidity:e3:2
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the outcome?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	outcome	outcome	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	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 | **characteris** | present |  | the outcome |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A collision occurred in which nobody was injured

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:35-mistakes-and-stupidity:e3:o1:1
# text = A collision occurred in which nobody was injured
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	collision	collision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	occurred	occur	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
6	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	8	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	injured	injure	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **occur** | participle | a collision |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **injure** | past · passive |  | nobody |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A deliberate plan was executed successfully

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:35-mistakes-and-stupidity:e3:o2:1
# text = A deliberate plan was executed successfully
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	deliberate	deliberate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	plan	plan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	executed	execute	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	successfully	successfully	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **execute** | past · passive |  | a deliberate plan |  |  |  | successfully *property* | vn murder-42.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An unfortunate event occasioned general amusement

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:35-mistakes-and-stupidity:e3:o3:1
# text = An unfortunate event occasioned general amusement
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	unfortunate	unfortunate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	occasioned	occasion	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	general	general	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	amusement	amusement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **occasion** | past | a unfortunate event | general amusement |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An unintended error produced a favourable result

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:35-mistakes-and-stupidity:e3:o4:1
# text = An unintended error produced a favourable result
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	unintended	unintended	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	error	error	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	produced	produce	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	favourable	favourable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	result	result	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **produce** | past | a unintended error | a favourable result |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent result=Result |

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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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