---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Handshakes, waves and greetings around… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expected reply to "How's it going?" from a passer-by? Exam question 4 of lesson 124 «Handshakes, waves and greetings around the world» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the q
---

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# Exam question 4 · Handshakes, waves and greetings around the world

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expected reply to "How's it going?" from a passer-by?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** reply · **What happens:** follow, characteris, expect, go · **To what, where:** expected reply

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 124 «Handshakes, waves and greetings around the world» 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/124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs:e4:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expected reply to "How's it going?" from a passer-by?
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	11	det	_	_
10	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	reply	reply	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	to	to	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	17	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
16	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	17	nsubj	_	_
17	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	_
20	from	from	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
21	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	passer	passer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	24	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	by	by	ADP	IN	_	22	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	?	?	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 expected reply |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **expect** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **go** *in a quote* | present · progressive | reply |  |  |  |  | from a passer | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme from passer=Initial\_Location |

<!-- .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 -->
A question as to why they ask

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs:e4:o1:1
# text = A question as to why they ask
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	question	question	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	3	fixed	_	_
5	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	ask	ask	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | they |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Silence, as it needs no reply at all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs:e4:o2:1
# text = Silence, as it needs no reply at all
1	Silence	silence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
5	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
6	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	7	det	_	_
7	reply	reply	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | Silence | no reply |  | all |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot reply=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"Good, thanks!", as it is a greeting

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs:e4:o3:1
# text = "Good, thanks!", as it is a greeting
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
4	thanks	thanks	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	as	as	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	greeting	greeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | thanks |  |  |  |  | as a greeting | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A full account of one's day so far

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs:e4:o4:1
# text = A full account of one's day so far
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	one	one	PRON	PRP	Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	far	far	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **account** |  |  | one's day |  |  |  |  | nom account «communication transitive»: of=patient |

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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: [Handshakes, waves and greetings around…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs/e3/)
- next →: [More greetings and making introductions, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/125-greetings-and-introductions/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Handshakes, waves and greetings around the world](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs/)