---
title: Given that a loose dog approaches a child at speed, ascertain the co… — The bulldog next door who never likes… · tree and pragmatics
description: Given that a loose dog approaches a child at speed, ascertain the conduct most likely to avert injury. Exam question 3 of lesson 456 «The bulldog next door who never likes you» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you/e3/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/) / [The bulldog next door who never likes…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you/) / e3

# Exam question 3 · The bulldog next door who never likes you

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Given that a loose dog approaches a child at speed, ascertain the conduct most likely to avert injury.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** loose dog, you · **What happens:** give, approach, ascertain, avert · **To what, where:** child, speed, conduct, injury

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 456 «The bulldog next door who never likes you» 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/456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you:e3:1
# text = Given that a loose dog approaches a child at speed, ascertain the conduct most likely to avert injury.
1	Given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	mark	_	_
2	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	loose	loose	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	approaches	approach	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	advcl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	speed	speed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	16	advmod	_	_
16	likely	likely	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	avert	avert	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	acl:relcl	_	_
19	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **approach** | present | a loose dog | a child |  | speed |  |  | vn confront-98 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent child=Theme |
| 3 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the conduct |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent conduct=Topic |
| 4 | **avert** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | injury |  |  |  | likely *property* | 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 -->
Maintaining a fixed stare until the animal at last retreats

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you:e3:o1:1
# text = Maintaining a fixed stare until the animal at last retreats
1	Maintaining	maintain	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	fixed	fix	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
4	stare	stare	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	until	until	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	last	last	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	retreats	retreat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **maintain** | gerund |  | a fixed stare |  | last retreats | until the animal |  | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent stare=Theme |
| 2 | **fix** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Waving the arms and shouting loudly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you:e3:o2:1
# text = Waving the arms and shouting loudly
1	Waving	wave	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	arms	arm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	shouting	shout	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
6	loudly	loudly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wave** | gerund |  | the arms |  |  |  |  | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent arm=Patient |
| 2 | **shout** *speech: express* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | loudly *property* | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Remaining motionless with arms lowered and gaze averted

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you:e3:o3:1
# text = Remaining motionless with arms lowered and gaze averted
1	Remaining	remain	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	motionless	motionless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	xcomp	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	arms	arm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	_
5	lowered	lower	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	gaze	gaze	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
8	averted	avert	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remain** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | with arms; motionless *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **lower** | participle |  | arms *not said here* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **gaze** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **avert** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Running at maximum speed in the opposite direction

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you:e3:o4:1
# text = Running at maximum speed in the opposite direction
1	Running	run	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	maximum	maximum	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	speed	speed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	opposite	opposite	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	direction	direction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **run** | gerund |  |  |  | maximum speed |  | in the opposite direction | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme at speed=Trajectory |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [The bulldog next door who never likes…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you/e2/)
- next →: [The bulldog next door who never likes…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you/e4/)
- ↑ back to [The bulldog next door who never likes you](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/456-the-bulldog-next-door-who-never-likes-you/)