---
title: Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "thi… — Soft words for hard things: stupidity… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "thick as two short planks". Exam question 1 of lesson 36 «Soft words for hard things: stupidity and madness» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

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# Exam question 1 · Soft words for hard things: stupidity and madness

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "thick as two short planks".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, convey · **To what, where:** meaning

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 36 «Soft words for hard things: 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/36-dim-and-round-the-bend/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:36-dim-and-round-the-bend:e1:1
# text = Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "thick as two short planks".
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	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	5	advmod	_	_
5	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
12	as	as	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	15	nummod	_	_
14	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	planks	plank	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the meaning *not said here* |  |  |  | by the expression; accurately *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Exceedingly robust

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:36-dim-and-round-the-bend:e1:o1:1
# text = Exceedingly robust
1	Exceedingly	exceedingly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	robust	robust	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Exceedingly unintelligent

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:36-dim-and-round-the-bend:e1:o2:1
# text = Exceedingly unintelligent
1	Exceedingly	exceedingly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	unintelligent	unintelligent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Exceedingly discourteous

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:36-dim-and-round-the-bend:e1:o3:1
# text = Exceedingly discourteous
1	Exceedingly	exceedingly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	discourteous	discourteous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Exceedingly diminutive

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:36-dim-and-round-the-bend:e1:o4:1
# text = Exceedingly diminutive
1	Exceedingly	exceedingly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	diminutive	diminutive	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .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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