---
title: Whereas socks are worn upon smooth wooden stairs, determine which me… — Going up and down stairs safely · tree and pragmatics
description: Whereas socks are worn upon smooth wooden stairs, determine which measure most effectively diminishes the risk of slipping. Exam question 4 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 ea
---

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# Exam question 4 · Going up and down stairs safely

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Whereas socks are worn upon smooth wooden stairs, determine which measure most effectively diminishes the risk of slipping.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** risk · **What happens:** wear, determine, measure, diminish, slip · **To what, where:** risk

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e4:1
# text = Whereas socks are worn upon smooth wooden stairs, determine which measure most effectively diminishes the risk of slipping.
1	Whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	socks	sock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	worn	wear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	smooth	smooth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	wooden	wooden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	stairs	stair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	determine	determine	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
11	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
12	measure	measure	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	ccomp	_	_
13	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	10	advmod	_	_
14	effectively	effectively	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	diminishes	diminish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	advcl	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	risk	risk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
18	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	19	mark	_	_
19	slipping	slip	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	17	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wear** | present · passive |  |  |  |  |  | whereas socks; upon smooth wooden stairs | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V PP-Conative» |
| 2 | **determine** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **measure** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **diminish** | present |  | the risk |  |  |  | effectively *property* | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Causer risk=Patient |
| 5 | **slip** | gerund | the risk *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=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.

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The removal of the socks or the wearing of shoes possessing grip

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e4:o1:1
# text = The removal of the socks or the wearing of shoes possessing grip
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	removal	removal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	socks	sock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
8	wearing	wear	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	amod	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	shoes	shoe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	_
11	possessing	possess	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
12	grip	grip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wear** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V PP-Conative»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **possess** | gerund | the wearing shoes *not said here* | grip |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot grip=Theme |
| 3 | **remove** |  |  | the socks or the wearing shoes |  |  |  |  | nom removal «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pulling of the socks higher upon the leg

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e4:o2:1
# text = The pulling of the socks higher upon the leg
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pulling	pulling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl:unmarked	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	socks	sock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	higher	high	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
7	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	leg	leg	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pull** |  |  | the socks |  |  |  |  | nom pulling «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The carrying of a heavy object for added weight

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e4:o3:1
# text = The carrying of a heavy object for added weight
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	carrying	carry	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	object	object	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	added	add	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | of a heavy object for added weight | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent of object=Initial\_Location |
| 2 | **add** *speech: assert* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V ADVP-Middle»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The descent of the stairs at a running pace

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:1-stairs:e4:o4:1
# text = The descent of the stairs at a running pace
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	descent	descent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	stairs	stair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	running	running	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	pace	pace	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **descend** |  | the stairs |  |  |  |  | at a running pace | nom descent «event intransitive»: of=agent at=obl |

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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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