---
title: Whereas a pupil is described as «scared» for declining to attend an… — Walking away · tree and pragmatics
description: Whereas a pupil is described as «scared» for declining to attend an arranged street fight, ascertain the comparative cost of declining. Exam question 4 of lesson 371 «Walking away» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each op
---

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# Exam question 4 · Walking away

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Whereas a pupil is described as «scared» for declining to attend an arranged street fight, ascertain the comparative cost of declining.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, comparative cost · **What happens:** describe, decline, not attend, arrange, ascertain · **To what, where:** pupil, arranged street fight, comparative cost

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 371 «Walking away» 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/371-walking-away/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:371-walking-away:e4:1
# text = Whereas a pupil is described as «scared» for declining to attend an arranged street fight, ascertain the comparative cost of declining.
1	Whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	19	advcl	_	_
6	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	scared	scared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
10	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
11	declining	decline	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	19	advcl	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	attend	attend	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	xcomp	_	_
14	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
15	arranged	arrange	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	17	amod	_	_
16	street	street	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	compound	_	_
17	fight	fight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
19	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
21	comparative	comparative	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
22	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obj	_	_
23	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	24	mark	_	_
24	declining	decline	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	22	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	19	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present · passive |  | a pupil |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **decline** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn reject-77.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **not** **attend** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | a arranged street fight |  |  |  |  | vn attend-107.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme fight=Goal |
| 4 | **arrange** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the comparative cost |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cost=Topic |
| 6 | **decline** | gerund | the comparative cost *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

<!-- .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 -->
Declining is penalised more severely than fighting

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:371-walking-away:e4:o1:1
# text = Declining is penalised more severely than fighting
1	Declining	declining	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	penalised	penalis	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
5	severely	severely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	than	than	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	fighting	fight	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **penalis** | present · passive |  | Declining |  |  |  | severely *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **fight** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn battle-36.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cost of declining exceeds any consequence which might follow from attending

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:371-walking-away:e4:o2:1
# text = The cost of declining exceeds any consequence which might follow from attending
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	declining	declining	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	exceeds	exceed	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	7	det	_	_
7	consequence	consequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
9	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	follow	follow	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	acl:relcl	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	attending	attending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exceed** | present | the cost of declining | any consequence |  |  |  |  | vn exceed-90 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot consequence=Theme |
| 2 | **follow** | might | any consequence |  |  | attending |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent from attending=Trajectory |
| 3 | **cost** |  |  | declining |  |  |  |  | nom cost «possession transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cost of an insult is negligible relative to injury, punishment or police involvement

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:371-walking-away:e4:o3:1
# text = The cost of an insult is negligible relative to injury, punishment or police involvement
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	insult	insult	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	negligible	negligible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	relative	relative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	punishment	punishment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	police	police	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	involvement	involvement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the cost of a insult | negligible relative |  |  |  | to injury and punishment or police involvement | tree rules |
| 2 | **cost** |  |  | a insult |  |  |  |  | nom cost «possession transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No consequence attends either course of action

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:371-walking-away:e4:o4:1
# text = No consequence attends either course of action
1	No	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	2	det	_	_
2	consequence	consequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	attends	attend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	either	either	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	5	det	_	_
5	course	course	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attend** | present | no consequence | either course of action |  |  |  |  | vn attend-107.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme course=Goal |

<!-- 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: [Walking away, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/371-walking-away/e3/)
- next →: [Jake, always in bruises, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/372-jake-always-in-bruises/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Walking away](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/371-walking-away/)