---
title: Ascertain the reason for which a magnifying glass is never pointed a… — Snow, ice and strong sun · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which a magnifying glass is never pointed at anything in sunlight. Exam question 4 of lesson 234 «Snow, ice and strong sun» 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 right.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Snow, ice and strong sun

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which a magnifying glass is never pointed at anything in sunlight.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, magnify, not point · **To what, where:** reason, magnifying glass, anything

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 234 «Snow, ice and strong sun» 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/234-snow-ice-and-sun/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:234-snow-ice-and-sun:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which a magnifying glass is never pointed at anything in sunlight.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	magnifying	magnify	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	amod	_	_
8	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
10	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	pointed	point	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
12	at	at	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	anything	anything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	11	obl	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	sunlight	sunlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **magnify** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn remedy-45.7-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **not** **point** | present · passive |  | a magnifying glass |  | anything |  | for the reason | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

<!-- .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 -->
It makes the glass shatter into many sharp pieces at once

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:234-snow-ice-and-sun:e4:o1:1
# text = It makes the glass shatter into many sharp pieces at once
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	shatter	shatter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	into	into	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	sharp	sharp	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	pieces	piece	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | It | the glass shatter |  | many sharp pieces |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP.material PP.product»: agent=Agent shatter=Material into piece=Product |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It focuses sunlight into a spot hot enough to start a fire

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:234-snow-ice-and-sun:e4:o2:1
# text = It focuses sunlight into a spot hot enough to start a fire
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	focuses	focus	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	sunlight	sunlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	into	into	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	spot	spot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
8	enough	enough	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	start	start	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	advcl	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **focus** | present | It | sunlight |  | a spot |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **start** | to-infinitive |  | a fire |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fire=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It makes objects permanently larger

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:234-snow-ice-and-sun:e4:o3:1
# text = It makes objects permanently larger
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	objects	object	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	permanently	permanently	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
5	larger	large	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | It | objects |  |  |  | large, permanently *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.material V NP»: agent=Material object=Product |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It dims the sunlight so much that the eyes are harmed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:234-snow-ice-and-sun:e4:o4:1
# text = It dims the sunlight so much that the eyes are harmed
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	dims	dim	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	sunlight	sunlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	so	so	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	much	much	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
7	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	harmed	harm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dim** | present | It | the sunlight |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent sunlight=Patient |
| 2 | **harm** | present · passive |  | the eyes |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |

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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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