---
title: It is given that a friend will sing at a talent show and asks for an… — White lies and kind silence · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a friend will sing at a talent show and asks for an opinion. Determine the most suitable answer. Exam question 3 of lesson 196 «White lies and kind silence» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; M
---

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# Exam question 3 · White lies and kind silence

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a friend will sing at a talent show and asks for an opinion. Determine the most suitable answer.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** friend, you · **What happens:** give, sing, ask, determine · **To what, where:** It, talent show, suitable answer

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 196 «White lies and kind silence» 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/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a friend will sing at a talent show and asks for an opinion.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:e3:1
# text = It is given that a friend will sing at a talent show and asks for an opinion.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
7	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	sing	sing	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	talent	talent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	show	show	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	conj	_	_
15	for	for	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	opinion	opinion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **sing** *speech: express* | future | a friend |  |  | a talent show |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme at show=Location |
| 3 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | a friend *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for a opinion | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Determine the most suitable answer.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:e3:2
# text = Determine the most suitable answer.
1	Determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
3	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	4	advmod	_	_
4	suitable	suitable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the suitable answer |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent answer=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A refusal to say anything whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:e3:o1:1
# text = A refusal to say anything whatsoever
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	refusal	refusal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl	_	_
5	anything	anything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	4	obj	_	_
6	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | anything |  |  |  | whatsoever *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent anything=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A blunt remark that it is the worst

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:e3:o2:1
# text = A blunt remark that it is the worst
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	blunt	blunt	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	that	that	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nmod	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	worst	bad	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a blunt remark that it |  |  |  |  | bad *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gentle, true tip that helps them improve

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:e3:o3:1
# text = A gentle, true tip that helps them improve
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
2	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	tip	tip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	helps	help	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	improve	improve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | a gentle true tip | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent they=Beneficiary clause=Theme |
| 2 | **improve** | infinitive | them *= they* *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A false assurance that it is perfect

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:e3:o4:1
# text = A false assurance that it is perfect
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	false	false	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	assurance	assurance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	that	that	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nmod	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	perfect	perfect	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a false assurance that it |  |  |  |  | perfect *property* | 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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