---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Teeth, nails, baths and toilets · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the cutting of toenails? Exam question 2 of lesson 208 «Teeth, nails, baths and toilets» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was righ
---

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# Exam question 2 · Teeth, nails, baths and toilets

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the cutting of toenails?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** toenails · **What happens:** follow, characteris, cut · **To what, where:** cutting

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 208 «Teeth, nails, baths and toilets» 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/208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets:e2:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the cutting of toenails?
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	cutting	cutting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	toenails	toenail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	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 cutting of toenails |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **cut** |  | toenails |  |  |  |  |  | nom cutting «act intransitive»: of=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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are torn by hand to avoid tools

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets:e2:o1:1
# text = They are torn by hand to avoid tools
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	torn	tear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	avoid	avoid	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
8	tools	tool	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tear** | present · passive | hand | They |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Initial\_Location subject=Theme |
| 2 | **avoid** | to-infinitive | hand *not said here* | tools |  |  |  |  | vn avoid-52 «NP V NP.location»: agent=Agent tool=Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are cut straight across, lest they grow into the skin

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets:e2:o2:1
# text = They are cut straight across, lest they grow into the skin
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	straight	straight	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	across	across	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	lest	lest	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	grow	grow	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
10	into	into	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cut** | present · passive |  | They |  |  |  | across *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |
| 2 | **grow** | present | they |  |  |  |  | into the skin *result* | vn become-109.1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient into skin=Result |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are cut in a deep curve, as close to the skin as can be managed

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets:e2:o3:1
# text = They are cut in a deep curve, as close to the skin as can be managed
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	curve	curve	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	close	close	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	parataxis	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
14	as	as	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
15	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
16	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	17	aux:pass	_	_
17	managed	manage	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cut** | present · passive |  | They |  | a deep curve |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |
| 2 | **manage** | can · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-1-1 «NP V» |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are cut as short as is possible

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets:e2:o4:1
# text = They are cut as short as is possible
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	as	as	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
6	as	as	ADP	IN	_	5	fixed	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	possible	possible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cut** | present · passive |  | They |  |  |  | short *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | possible *property* | tree rules |

<!-- 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: [Teeth, nails, baths and toilets, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets/e1/)
- next →: [Teeth, nails, baths and toilets, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Teeth, nails, baths and toilets](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/208-teeth-nails-baths-and-toilets/)