---
title: Identify the principal reason for which an account of an ordinary af… — Too many details, too few · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which an account of an ordinary afternoon recounted to the exact minute may arouse suspicion. Exam question 1 of lesson 450 «Too many details, too few» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of ea
---

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# Exam question 1 · Too many details, too few

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which an account of an ordinary afternoon recounted to the exact minute may arouse suspicion.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, account · **What happens:** identify, recount, arouse, account · **To what, where:** principal reason, ordinary afternoon, suspicion

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 450 «Too many details, too few» 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/450-too-many-details-too-few/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which an account of an ordinary afternoon recounted to the exact minute may arouse suspicion.
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	19	obl	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	ordinary	ordinary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	afternoon	afternoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
13	recounted	recount	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	acl	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	minute	minute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
18	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
19	arouse	arouse	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl:relcl	_	_
20	suspicion	suspicion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	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 | **recount** *speech: other* | participle |  | a ordinary afternoon *not said here* |  |  | minute |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **arouse** | may | a account of a ordinary afternoon | suspicion |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus suspicion=Experiencer |
| 4 | **account** |  |  | a ordinary afternoon |  |  |  |  | nom account «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 -->
Ordinary recollection seldom retains such precision, suggesting a prepared script

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e1:o1:1
# text = Ordinary recollection seldom retains such precision, suggesting a prepared script
1	Ordinary	ordinary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	recollection	recollection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	seldom	seldom	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	retains	retain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	precision	precision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	suggesting	suggest	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	prepared	prepared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	script	script	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **retain** | present | Ordinary recollection | such precision |  |  |  | seldom *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **suggest** *speech: suggest* | gerund | Ordinary recollection *not said here* | a prepared script |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent script=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Precise accounts are invariably truthful, a liar being unable to invent so many particulars

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e1:o2:1
# text = Precise accounts are invariably truthful, a liar being unable to invent so many particulars
1	Precise	precise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	accounts	account	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	invariably	invariably	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	truthful	truthful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	liar	liar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	cop	_	_
10	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	invent	invent	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	xcomp	_	_
13	so	so	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
14	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	particulars	particular	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Precise accounts |  |  |  |  | invariably, truthful *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | gerund | a liar |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **invent** | to-infinitive | a liar *not said here* | many particulars |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent particular=Result |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Precision is forbidden in conversation

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e1:o3:1
# text = Precision is forbidden in conversation
1	Precision	precision	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	forbidden	forbid	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	conversation	conversation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forbid** | present · passive |  | Precision |  | conversation |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ordinary afternoons do not occur

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e1:o4:1
# text = Ordinary afternoons do not occur
1	Ordinary	ordinary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	afternoons	afternoon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	occur	occur	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **occur** | present · do-support | Ordinary afternoons |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=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: [Too many details, too few, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/t12/)
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