---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Chores and broken things · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the superstition whereby the breakage of a mirror occasions seven years of misfortune? Exam question 3 of lesson 111 «Chores and broken things» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of 
---

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# Exam question 3 · Chores and broken things

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the superstition whereby the breakage of a mirror occasions seven years of misfortune?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** breakage · **What happens:** follow, characteris, occasion · **To what, where:** superstition

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 111 «Chores and broken things» 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/111-chores-and-broken-things/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e3:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the superstition whereby the breakage of a mirror occasions seven years of misfortune?
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	superstition	superstition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	whereby	whereby	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	17	advmod	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	breakage	breakage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	mirror	mirror	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	_
17	occasions	occasion	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
18	seven	seven	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	19	nummod	_	_
19	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	obj	_	_
20	of	of	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
21	misfortune	misfortune	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	?	?	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 superstition |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **occasion** | present | the breakage of a mirror |  |  |  | year | whereby *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 is untrue; the sole hazard is the broken glass

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e3:o1:1
# text = It is untrue; the sole hazard is the broken glass
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	untrue	untrue	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	sole	sole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	hazard	hazard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | untrue *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **break** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **is a** | present | the sole hazard | the broken glass |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is true only where the mirror was exceedingly old

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e3:o2:1
# text = It is true only where the mirror was exceedingly old
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
5	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	10	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	mirror	mirror	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
8	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
9	exceedingly	exceedingly	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | past | the mirror |  |  |  |  | exceedingly, old *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is true, as broken glass draws misfortune to it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e3:o3:1
# text = It is true, as broken glass draws misfortune to it
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	draws	draw	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
9	misfortune	misfortune	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
10	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **break** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **draw** | present | broken glass | misfortune |  | misfortune |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent misfortune=Theme to it=Destination |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is true unless the fragments are buried promptly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e3:o4:1
# text = It is true unless the fragments are buried promptly
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	unless	unless	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	fragments	fragment	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	buried	bury	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
9	promptly	promptly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **bury** *a condition, not said to happen* | present · passive |  | the fragments |  |  |  | promptly *property* | vn put-9.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=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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- ← previous: [Chores and broken things, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/111-chores-and-broken-things/e2/)
- next →: [Chores and broken things, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/111-chores-and-broken-things/e4/)
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