---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a re… — Jokes and teasing: when is it still fu… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a remark that wounds its target but is described as «just joking»? Exam question 1 of lesson 203 «Jokes and teasing: when is it still funny?» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of th
---

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# Exam question 1 · Jokes and teasing: when is it still funny?

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a remark that wounds its target but is described as «just joking»?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** remark · **What happens:** follow, characteris, wound, describe, joke, target · **To what, where:** remark, target

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 203 «Jokes and teasing: when is it still funny?» 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/203-jokes-and-teasing/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:203-jokes-and-teasing:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a remark that wounds its target but is described as «just joking»?
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	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
12	wounds	wound	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	acl:relcl	_	_
13	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	target	target	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	aux:pass	_	_
17	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	conj	_	_
18	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	21	mark	_	_
19	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	21	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	just	just	ADV	RB	_	21	advmod	_	_
21	joking	joke	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	17	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	21	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	?	?	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 |  | a remark |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **wound** | present | a remark | remark's target |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus target=Experiencer |
| 4 | **describe** | present · passive | a remark *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING» |
| 5 | **joke** *speech: other* *in a quote* | gerund | a remark *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn chit\_chat-37.6 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 6 | **target** |  | remark |  |  |  |  |  | nom target «communication transitive»: poss=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.

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The description does not render the remark acceptable

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:203-jokes-and-teasing:e1:o1:1
# text = The description does not render the remark acceptable
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	description	description	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	render	render	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	acceptable	acceptable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **render** | present · do-support | the description | the remark |  |  |  | acceptable *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent remark=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is acceptable if the speaker is a friend

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:203-jokes-and-teasing:e1:o2:1
# text = It is acceptable if the speaker is a friend
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	acceptable	acceptable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	speaker	speaker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | acceptable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | the speaker | a friend |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is acceptable if others present laugh

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:203-jokes-and-teasing:e1:o3:1
# text = It is acceptable if others present laugh
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	acceptable	acceptable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	present	present	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
7	laugh	laugh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | acceptable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **laugh** |  | others |  |  |  |  |  | nom laugh «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The description renders any remark acceptable

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:203-jokes-and-teasing:e1:o4:1
# text = The description renders any remark acceptable
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	description	description	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	renders	render	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	5	det	_	_
5	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	acceptable	acceptable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | present | the description | any remark |  |  |  | acceptable *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent remark=Theme |

<!-- div src -->

**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: [Jokes and teasing: when is it still fu…, test 19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/203-jokes-and-teasing/t19/)
- next →: [Jokes and teasing: when is it still fu…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/203-jokes-and-teasing/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Jokes and teasing: when is it still funny?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/203-jokes-and-teasing/)