---
title: It is given that a notice in a United States park directs visitors t… — Soft words for hard things: the toilet… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a notice in a United States park directs visitors to a "comfort station". Ascertain the nature of the facility so designated. Exam question 2 of lesson 6 «Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the depende
---

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# Exam question 2 · Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a notice in a United States park directs visitors to a "comfort station". Ascertain the nature of the facility so designated.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** notice, you · **What happens:** give, direct, ascertain, designate · **To what, where:** It, visitors, nature, facility

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 6 «Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions» 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/6-toilet-words/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a notice in a United States park directs visitors to a "comfort station".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e2:1
# text = It is given that a notice in a United States park directs visitors to a "comfort station".
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	_	12	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	notice	notice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	United	United	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	States	State	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	11	compound	_	_
11	park	park	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
12	directs	direct	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
13	visitors	visitor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
16	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	comfort	comfort	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	compound	_	_
18	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 | **direct** | present | a notice in a States park | visitors |  |  |  | to a comfort station | vn supervision-95.2.2-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent visitor=Theme |

<!-- .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:* Ascertain the nature of the facility so designated.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e2:2
# text = Ascertain the nature of the facility so designated.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	facility	facility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	designated	designate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the nature of the facility |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nature=Topic |
| 2 | **designate** | participle |  | the facility *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A shelter against inclement weather

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e2:o1:1
# text = A shelter against inclement weather
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	shelter	shelter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	against	against	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	inclement	inclement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A rest area furnished with seating

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e2:o2:1
# text = A rest area furnished with seating
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	rest	rest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	area	area	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	furnished	furnish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	seating	seating	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **furnish** | participle |  | a rest area *not said here* |  |  |  | with seating | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP-Fulfilling PP.theme»: agent=Agent with seating=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A public lavatory

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e2:o3:1
# text = A public lavatory
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	lavatory	lavatory	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A station providing first aid

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e2:o4:1
# text = A station providing first aid
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	providing	provide	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	5	amod	_	_
5	aid	aid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **provide** | gerund | a station *not said here* | first aid |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition aid=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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