---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — The magician's trick explained · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the technique termed «misdirection»? Exam question 3 of lesson 448 «The magician's trick explained» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choi
---

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# Exam question 3 · The magician's trick explained

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the technique termed «misdirection»?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** technique · **What happens:** follow, characteris, term · **To what, where:** misdirection

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 448 «The magician's trick explained» 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/448-the-magicians-trick-explained/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:448-the-magicians-trick-explained:e3:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the technique termed «misdirection»?
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	technique	technique	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	termed	term	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	ccomp	_	_
12	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	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 |  |  |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **term** | past | the technique | misdirection |  |  |  |  | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent misdirection=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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The provision of incorrect directions to a location, so that the audience is led astray

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:448-the-magicians-trick-explained:e3:o1:1
# text = The provision of incorrect directions to a location, so that the audience is led astray
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	provision	provision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	incorrect	incorrect	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	directions	direction	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	location	location	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
10	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	15	mark	_	_
11	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	10	fixed	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	audience	audience	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	led	lead	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
16	astray	astray	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lead** | present · passive | the provision of incorrect directions to a location *not said here* | the audience |  |  |  | astray *property* | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **provide** |  | incorrect directions to a location |  |  |  |  |  | nom provision «communication intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The disclosure of the method prior to performance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:448-the-magicians-trick-explained:e3:o2:1
# text = The disclosure of the method prior to performance
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	disclosure	disclosure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	method	method	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	prior	prior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	8	case	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	performance	performance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **disclose** |  |  | the method |  |  |  | prior performance | nom disclosure «communication transitive»: of=patient prior=obl |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The performance of a trick at reduced speed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:448-the-magicians-trick-explained:e3:o3:1
# text = The performance of a trick at reduced speed
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	performance	performance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	trick	trick	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	reduced	reduce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	speed	speed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reduce** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer |
| 2 | **perform** |  |  | a trick |  | reduced speed |  |  | nom performance «communication transitive»: of=patient at=place |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The diversion of attention from the place where the concealed action occurs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:448-the-magicians-trick-explained:e3:o4:1
# text = The diversion of attention from the place where the concealed action occurs
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	diversion	diversion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	attention	attention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	12	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	concealed	conceal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	occurs	occur	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **conceal** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **occur** | present | the concealed action |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **divert** |  |  | attention |  | the place |  |  | nom diversion «act transitive»: of=patient from=place |

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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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