---
title: Identify the principal reason for which a person traversing a stairc… — Going up and down stairs safely · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which a person traversing a staircase is advised to maintain contact with the handrail. Exam question 2 of lesson 1 «Going up and down stairs safely» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each
---

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# Exam question 2 · Going up and down stairs safely

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which a person traversing a staircase is advised to maintain contact with the handrail.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, person · **What happens:** identify, traverse, advise, maintain · **To what, where:** principal reason, staircase, person, contact

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 1 «Going up and down stairs safely» of the everyday 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/everyday/1-stairs/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which a person traversing a staircase is advised to maintain contact with the handrail.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	13	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	traversing	traverse	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	staircase	staircase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	advised	advise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	maintain	maintain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	xcomp	_	_
16	contact	contact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
17	with	with	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	handrail	handrail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **traverse** | gerund | a person *not said here* | a staircase |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme staircase=Co-Theme |
| 3 | **advise** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | a person |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP how S\_INF»: subject=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 4 | **maintain** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* | contact |  |  |  | with the handrail | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent contact=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It affords a means of arresting the body should the person trip or slip

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e2:o1:1
# text = It affords a means of arresting the body should the person trip or slip
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	affords	afford	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	nsubj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
5	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	arresting	arrest	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
9	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	trip	trip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	ccomp	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	slip	slip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **afford** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **mean** | present | a |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **arrest** | gerund | a *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn prosecute-33.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **trip** | should | the body |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It prevents the staircase from moving under load

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e2:o2:1
# text = It prevents the staircase from moving under load
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	prevents	prevent	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	staircase	staircase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	moving	move	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
7	under	under	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	load	load	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prevent** | present | It | the staircase |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer staircase=Theme |
| 2 | **move** | gerund |  |  |  | load |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme under load=Trajectory |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It obliges the person to ascend at a greater speed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e2:o3:1
# text = It obliges the person to ascend at a greater speed
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	obliges	oblige	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	ascend	ascend	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	greater	great	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	amod	_	_
10	speed	speed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **oblige** | present | It | the person |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent person=Patient |
| 2 | **ascend** | to-infinitive |  |  |  | a greater speed |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It reduces the wear sustained by the treads of the stairs over many years

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e2:o4:1
# text = It reduces the wear sustained by the treads of the stairs over many years
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	reduces	reduce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	wear	wear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	sustained	sustain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	treads	tread	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	stairs	stair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
12	over	over	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reduce** | present | It | the wear |  |  |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer wear=Patient |
| 2 | **sustain** | participle |  | the wear *not said here* |  |  | year | by the treads of the stairs | vn sustain-55.6 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **tread** |  | the stairs |  |  |  |  |  | nom tread «act intransitive»: of=agent |

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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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