---
title: Ascertain the circumstances in which choking at the table most frequ… — Respect for everyone, greetings, goodb… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the circumstances in which choking at the table most frequently occurs. Exam question 4 of lesson 221 «Respect for everyone, greetings, goodbyes and the table» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova'
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table/e4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/) / [Respect for everyone, greetings, goodb…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · Respect for everyone, greetings, goodbyes and the table

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the circumstances in which choking at the table most frequently occurs.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, circumstances · **What happens:** ascertain, choke, occur · **To what, where:** circumstances, table

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 221 «Respect for everyone, greetings, goodbyes and the table» 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/221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the circumstances in which choking at the table most frequently occurs.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	circumstances	circumstance	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	in	in	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	choking	choke	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	11	advmod	_	_
11	frequently	frequently	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	occurs	occur	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the circumstances |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent circumstance=Topic |
| 2 | **choke** | gerund | the circumstances |  |  | the table |  |  | vn die-42.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **occur** | present | the circumstances *not said here* |  |  |  |  | frequently *property* | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
When persons talk, laugh or run while eating

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table:e4:o1:1
# text = When persons talk, laugh or run while eating
1	When	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
2	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	talk	talk	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	laugh	laugh	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	run	run	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
8	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	eating	eat	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **talk** | present | persons |  |  |  |  |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **laugh** | present | persons *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **run** | present | persons *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **eat** | gerund | persons *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
When persons drink water with meals

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table:e4:o2:1
# text = When persons drink water with meals
1	When	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	3	mark	_	_
2	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	drink	drink	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	meals	meal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drink** | present | persons | water |  |  |  | with meals | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent water=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
When persons eat slowly and sit perfectly still at the table

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table:e4:o3:1
# text = When persons eat slowly and sit perfectly still at the table
1	When	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	3	mark	_	_
2	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	eat	eat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
4	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	sit	sit	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	perfectly	perfectly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	still	still	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** | present | persons |  |  |  |  | slowly *property* | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **sit** | present |  |  |  | the table | still |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent at table=Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
When persons use a knife and fork

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table:e4:o4:1
# text = When persons use a knife and fork
1	When	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	3	mark	_	_
2	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	use	use	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	knife	knife	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	fork	fork	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | persons | a knife and fork |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent knife=Patient |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Respect for everyone, greetings, goodb…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table/e3/)
- next →: [Phones, visiting friends, presents and…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/222-phones-visits-presents-and-thank-you-notes/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Respect for everyone, greetings, goodbyes and the table](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table/)