---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Putting the blame on someone else · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the proper allocation of the cost of damage? Exam question 3 of lesson 344 «Putting the blame on someone else» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; 
---

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# Exam question 3 · Putting the blame on someone else

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the proper allocation of the cost of damage?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris, allocate, cost · **To what, where:** proper allocation, cost, damage

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 344 «Putting the blame on someone else» 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/344-putting-the-blame-on-someone-else/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:344-putting-the-blame-on-someone-else:e3:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the proper allocation of the cost of damage?
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	11	det	_	_
10	proper	proper	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	allocation	allocation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	damage	damage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	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 proper allocation of the cost of damage |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **allocate** |  |  | the cost of damage |  |  |  |  | nom allocation «possession transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **cost** |  |  | damage |  |  |  |  | nom cost «possession transitive»: of=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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cost ought to be divided among all who were present

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:344-putting-the-blame-on-someone-else:e3:o1:1
# text = The cost ought to be divided among all who were present
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	divided	divide	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	among	among	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	obl	_	_
9	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
10	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
11	present	present	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **divide** | ought · passive |  | the cost |  |  |  | among all | vn multiply-108-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | past |  |  |  |  |  | present *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cost ought to be borne by the person responsible, irrespective of the means of others

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:344-putting-the-blame-on-someone-else:e3:o2:1
# text = The cost ought to be borne by the person responsible, irrespective of the means of others
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	borne	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	15	nsubj	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	responsible	responsible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	irrespective	irrespective	ADV	RB	ExtPos=ADV	15	advmod	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	fixed	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	nsubj	_	_
15	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bear** | ought · passive | the person | the cost |  |  |  | responsible *property* | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  | of others; irrespective *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cost ought to be borne by the school in every case

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:344-putting-the-blame-on-someone-else:e3:o3:1
# text = The cost ought to be borne by the school in every case
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	borne	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	12	det	_	_
12	case	case	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bear** | ought · passive | the school | the cost |  | every case |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cost ought to be borne by the wealthiest family

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:344-putting-the-blame-on-someone-else:e3:o4:1
# text = The cost ought to be borne by the wealthiest family
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	borne	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	wealthiest	wealthy	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	10	amod	_	_
10	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bear** | ought · passive | the wealthiest family | the cost |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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