---
title: Given that an old glass thermometer has been broken, ascertain by wh… — Chores and broken things · tree and pragmatics
description: Given that an old glass thermometer has been broken, ascertain by whom the resulting spill ought to be cleaned, and for what reason. Exam question 4 of lesson 111 «Chores and broken things» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and o
---

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# Exam question 4 · Chores and broken things

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Given that an old glass thermometer has been broken, ascertain by whom the resulting spill ought to be cleaned, and for what reason.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** give, break, ascertain, result, clean · **To what, where:** old glass thermometer, resulting spill

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

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e4:1
# text = Given that an old glass thermometer has been broken, ascertain by whom the resulting spill ought to be cleaned, and for what reason.
1	Given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	mark	_	_
2	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	thermometer	thermometer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
11	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	whom	whom	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	resulting	result	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	16	amod	_	_
16	spill	spill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nsubj:pass	_	_
17	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	20	aux	_	_
18	to	to	PART	TO	_	20	mark	_	_
19	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	20	aux:pass	_	_
20	cleaned	clean	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	13	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
22	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	24	cc	_	_
23	for	for	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
24	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	11	parataxis	_	_
25	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **break** | present · perfect · passive |  | a old glass thermometer |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 3 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **result** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **clean** | ought · passive | you *not said here* | the resulting spill |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By no one, since the liquid simply evaporates harmlessly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e4:o1:1
# text = By no one, since the liquid simply evaporates harmlessly
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	3	det	_	_
3	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	since	since	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	liquid	liquid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
8	simply	simply	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	evaporates	evaporate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	harmlessly	harmlessly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **evaporate** | present |  |  |  |  | since the liquid | by no one; harmlessly, simply *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By an adult, since it may contain poisonous mercury

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e4:o2:1
# text = By an adult, since it may contain poisonous mercury
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	adult	adult	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	since	since	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
7	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	contain	contain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
9	poisonous	poisonous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	mercury	mercury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contain** | may | adult | poisonous mercury |  |  |  | by a adult | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot mercury=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By the child, provided that thick rubber gloves are worn

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e4:o3:1
# text = By the child, provided that thick rubber gloves are worn
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	provided	provide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
7	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	rubber	rubber	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	gloves	glove	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	worn	wear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **provide** | past |  |  |  |  |  | by the child | vn ensure-99 «NP V that S»: agent=Precondition |
| 2 | **wear** | present · passive |  | thick rubber gloves |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.theme»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By the child, since the liquid is merely coloured water

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:111-chores-and-broken-things:e4:o4:1
# text = By the child, since the liquid is merely coloured water
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	since	since	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	liquid	liquid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
9	merely	merely	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	coloured	coloured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | coloured water |  |  |  | by the child since the liquid | tree rules |

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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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- ← previous: [Chores and broken things, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/111-chores-and-broken-things/e3/)
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