---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Adults who help and adults who don't · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression «boys will be boys» when applied to physical altercations? Exam question 2 of lesson 392 «Adults who help and adults who don't» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of t
---

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# Exam question 2 · Adults who help and adults who don't

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression «boys will be boys» when applied to physical altercations?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** boys · **What happens:** follow, characteris, be, apply · **To what, where:** expression, boys

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 392 «Adults who help and adults who don't» 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/392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:e2:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression «boys will be boys» when applied to physical altercations?
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	10	det	_	_
10	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
13	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
14	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	cop	_	_
15	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	_
17	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	18	advmod	_	_
18	applied	apply	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	advcl	_	_
19	to	to	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	physical	physical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	21	amod	_	_
21	altercations	altercation	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	?	?	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 expression |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is a** *in a quote* | future | boys | boys |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **apply** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | to physical altercations | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is an appropriate response from a caring adult

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:e2:o1:1
# text = It is an appropriate response from a caring adult
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	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	appropriate	appropriate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	caring	caring	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	adult	adult	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a appropriate response |  |  |  | from a caring adult | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It constitutes official school policy on conduct

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:e2:o2:1
# text = It constitutes official school policy on conduct
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	constitutes	constitute	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	official	official	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
4	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	policy	policy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **constitute** | present | It | official school policy |  | conduct |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme policy=Pivot |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is an excuse which obstructs any remedy

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:e2:o3:1
# text = It is an excuse which obstructs any remedy
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	excuse	excuse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	obstructs	obstruct	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	remedy	remedy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a excuse |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **obstruct** | present | a excuse | any remedy |  |  |  |  | vn discourage-64.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer remedy=Eventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is an accurate account of the nature of boys

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:e2:o4:1
# text = It is an accurate account of the nature of boys
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	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	accurate	accurate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a accurate account |  |  |  | of the nature of boys | tree rules |

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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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- ← previous: [Adults who help and adults who don't, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont/e1/)
- next →: [Adults who help and adults who don't, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Adults who help and adults who don't](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont/)