---
title: It is given that an account abounds in detail concerning peripheral… — Too many details, too few · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that an account abounds in detail concerning peripheral matters but contains none concerning its central event. Select the response consistent with the established facts. Exam question 2 of lesson 450 «Too many details, too few» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the d
---

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# Exam question 2 · Too many details, too few

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that an account abounds in detail concerning peripheral matters but contains none concerning its central event. Select the response consistent with the established facts.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** account, concerning peripheral, you · **What happens:** give, abound, matter, contain, concern, select · **To what, where:** It, detail, none, central event, response

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 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/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that an account abounds in detail concerning peripheral matters but contains none concerning its central event.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e2:1
# text = It is given that an account abounds in detail concerning peripheral matters but contains none concerning its central event.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	abounds	abound	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	detail	detail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
10	concerning	concerning	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	peripheral	peripheral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	matters	matter	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
13	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	contains	contain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	conj	_	_
15	none	none	PRON	NN	PronType=Neg	14	obj	_	_
16	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	15	acl	_	_
17	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	19	nmod:poss	_	_
18	central	central	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **abound** | present | a account |  |  | detail |  |  | vn swarm-47.5.1-2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in detail=Location |
| 3 | **matter** | present | concerning peripheral | detail *not said here* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **contain** | present | concerning peripheral *not said here* | none |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot none=Theme |
| 5 | **concern** | gerund |  | peripheral's central event |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus event=Experiencer |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Select the response consistent with the established facts.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e2:2
# text = Select the response consistent with the established facts.
1	Select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	facts	fact	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |
| 2 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The account is necessarily accurate in all respects

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e2:o1:1
# text = The account is necessarily accurate in all respects
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	necessarily	necessarily	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	accurate	accurate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	respects	respects	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the account |  |  | all respects |  | accurate, necessarily *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Central events are never described in detail

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e2:o2:1
# text = Central events are never described in detail
1	Central	central	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	events	event	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	detail	detail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **describe** | present · passive |  | Central events |  | detail |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Peripheral detail concerning cake and hats proves the central event beyond doubt

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e2:o3:1
# text = Peripheral detail concerning cake and hats proves the central event beyond doubt
1	Peripheral	peripheral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	detail	detail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	cake	cake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	hats	hat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	_
7	proves	prove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	central	central	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
11	beyond	beyond	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	doubt	doubt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **concern** | gerund | Peripheral detail *not said here* | cake and hats |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus cake=Experiencer |
| 2 | **prove** | present | Peripheral detail | the central event |  |  |  | beyond doubt | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent event=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The absence of detail concerning the central event may indicate fabrication

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:450-too-many-details-too-few:e2:o4:1
# text = The absence of detail concerning the central event may indicate fabrication
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	absence	absence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	detail	detail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	central	central	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	indicate	indicate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
11	fabrication	fabrication	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **concern** | gerund | the absence of detail *not said here* | the central event |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus event=Experiencer |
| 2 | **indicate** | may | the absence of detail | fabrication |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot fabrication=Topic |
| 3 | **absent** |  |  | detail |  |  |  |  | nom absence «state transitive»: of=patient |

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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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Too many details, too few, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/e1/)
- next →: [Too many details, too few, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Too many details, too few](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/)