---
title: Identify the characteristics which, taken together, distinguish a go… — Funny pranks · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the characteristics which, taken together, distinguish a good-natured prank. Exam question 1 of lesson 438 «Funny pranks» 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 · Funny pranks

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the characteristics which, taken together, distinguish a good-natured prank.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, take, distinguish · **To what, where:** characteristics, natured prank

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 438 «Funny pranks» 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/438-funny-pranks/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:438-funny-pranks:e1:1
# text = Identify the characteristics which, taken together, distinguish a good-natured prank.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	characteristics	characteristic	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	taken	take	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	parataxis	_	_
7	together	together	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
11	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	natured	natured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	prank	prank	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	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 characteristics |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **take** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | together *property* | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **distinguish** | infinitive | you *not said here* | a natured prank |  |  |  |  | vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute prank=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
That only the perpetrator derives amusement from it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:438-funny-pranks:e1:o1:1
# text = That only the perpetrator derives amusement from it
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	perpetrator	perpetrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
5	derives	derive	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	amusement	amusement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **derive** | present | That | amusement |  | amusement |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP PP.material»: agent=Agent amusement=Result from it=Material |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That property is damaged for amusement

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:438-funny-pranks:e1:o2:1
# text = That property is damaged for amusement
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	property	property	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	damaged	damage	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	amusement	amusement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **damage** | present · passive |  | that property |  |  |  | for amusement | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That no person is harmed, nothing is damaged, and the subject also laughs

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:438-funny-pranks:e1:o3:1
# text = That no person is harmed, nothing is damaged, and the subject also laughs
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	3	det	_	_
3	person	person	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	harmed	harm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	damaged	damage	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	subject	subject	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
14	also	also	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	laughs	laugh	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **harm** | present · passive |  | that person |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |
| 2 | **damage** | present · passive |  | nothing |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 3 | **laugh** | present | the subject |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the subject is frightened for an extended period

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:438-funny-pranks:e1:o4:1
# text = That the subject is frightened for an extended period
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	subject	subject	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	frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	extended	extended	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | present · passive |  | that subject |  |  |  | for a extended period | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |

<!-- 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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