---
title: Identify the principal reason for which paid loot boxes have been li… — Loot boxes and the surprise trap · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which paid loot boxes have been likened to gambling. Exam question 1 of lesson 413 «Loot boxes and the surprise trap» 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 wrong
---

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# Exam question 1 · Loot boxes and the surprise trap

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which paid loot boxes have been likened to gambling.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, principal reason · **What happens:** identify, pay, liken · **To what, where:** principal reason, loot boxes

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 413 «Loot boxes and the surprise trap» 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/413-loot-boxes-and-the-surprise-trap/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:413-loot-boxes-and-the-surprise-trap:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which paid loot boxes have been likened to gambling.
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	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	paid	pay	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	loot	loot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	likened	liken	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	ccomp	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	gambling	gambling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **pay** | past | the principal reason |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **liken** | present · perfect · passive |  | loot boxes |  |  |  | to gambling | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
Loot boxes invariably return more value than is paid for them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:413-loot-boxes-and-the-surprise-trap:e1:o1:1
# text = Loot boxes invariably return more value than is paid for them
1	Loot	loot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	invariably	invariably	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	return	return	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	amod	_	_
6	value	value	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	than	than	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	advcl	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **return** | present | Loot boxes | more value |  |  |  | invariably *property* | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent value=Theme |
| 2 | **pay** | present · passive | Loot boxes *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for boxes *= box* | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: for they=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Loot boxes are lawful only for persons of full age

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:413-loot-boxes-and-the-surprise-trap:e1:o2:1
# text = Loot boxes are lawful only for persons of full age
1	Loot	loot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	lawful	lawful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	only	only	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Loot boxes |  |  |  |  | for persons of full age; lawful *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Loot boxes are sold exclusively in establishments for betting

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:413-loot-boxes-and-the-surprise-trap:e1:o3:1
# text = Loot boxes are sold exclusively in establishments for betting
1	Loot	loot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	sold	sell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	establishments	establishment	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	betting	betting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sell** | present · passive |  | Loot boxes |  | establishments |  | for betting; exclusively *property* | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: subject=Theme for betting=Asset |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Money is exchanged for a random chance of obtaining a prize

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:413-loot-boxes-and-the-surprise-trap:e1:o4:1
# text = Money is exchanged for a random chance of obtaining a prize
1	Money	money	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	exchanged	exchange	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	random	random	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	obtaining	obtain	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	prize	prize	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exchange** | present · passive |  | Money |  |  |  | for a random chance | vn exchange-13.6.1 «NP V NP PP.co-theme»: subject=Theme for chance=Co-Theme |
| 2 | **obtain** | gerund | a random chance *not said here* | a prize |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset prize=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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