---
title: Identify the principal deficiency in the assertion that a person who… — Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality» · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal deficiency in the assertion that a person who was struck «was asking for it». Exam question 2 of lesson 379 «Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality»» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova
---

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# Exam question 2 · Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality»

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal deficiency in the assertion that a person who was struck «was asking for it».

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, strike, ask · **To what, where:** principal deficiency, assertion, person

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 379 «Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality»» 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/379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal deficiency in the assertion that a person who was struck «was asking for it».
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	deficiency	deficiency	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	assertion	assertion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	_
11	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	13	nsubj	_	_
12	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	struck	strike	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	acl:relcl	_	_
14	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	_
16	asking	ask	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	13	conj	_	_
17	for	for	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal deficiency |  | the assertion |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent deficiency=Theme |
| 2 | **strike** | past · passive |  | a person |  |  |  |  | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: subject=Instrument |
| 3 | **ask** *speech: ask* *in a quote* | past · progressive |  |  |  |  |  | for person | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=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 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It excuses harm, whereas no person deserves to be injured

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality:e2:o1:1
# text = It excuses harm, whereas no person deserves to be injured
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	excuses	excuse	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	7	det	_	_
7	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	deserves	deserve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	injured	injure	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **excuse** | present | It | harm |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent harm=Theme |
| 2 | **deserve** | present | no person |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **injure** | to-infinitive · passive | no person *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is entirely without deficiency

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality:e2:o2:1
# text = It is entirely without deficiency
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	without	without	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	deficiency	deficiency	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | without deficiency; entirely *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It ought properly to be addressed to the victim

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality:e2:o3:1
# text = It ought properly to be addressed to the victim
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	properly	properly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	addressed	address	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	victim	victim	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **address** | ought · passive |  | It |  |  |  | to the victim; properly *property* | vn illustrate-25.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Destination |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is expressed with insufficient formality for a school setting

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality:e2:o4:1
# text = It is expressed with insufficient formality for a school setting
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	expressed	express	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	insufficient	insufficient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	formality	formality	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	setting	setting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **express** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  | with insufficient formality; for a school setting | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

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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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- ← previous: [Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality», exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality/e1/)
- next →: [Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality», exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Maddie's nose and Connor's «equality»](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/379-maddies-nose-and-connors-equality/)