---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — The parent who left, and a new partner · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the responsibility for a parent's failure to maintain contact? Exam question 1 of lesson 517 «The parent who left, and a new partner» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questi
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner/e1/)

<!-- 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 parent who left, and a new partner](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · The parent who left, and a new partner

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the responsibility for a parent's failure to maintain contact?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** parent · **What happens:** follow, characteris, maintain, fail · **To what, where:** responsibility, contact

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 517 «The parent who left, and a new partner» 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/517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the responsibility for a parent's failure to maintain contact?
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	responsibility	responsibility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	's	's	PART	POS	_	13	case	_	_
15	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	maintain	maintain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	acl	_	_
18	contact	contact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	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 |  | the responsibility |  |  |  | of the following statements; for a parent's failure; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **maintain** | to-infinitive |  | contact |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent contact=Theme |
| 4 | **fail** |  | a parent |  |  |  |  |  | nom failure «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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 failure is attributable to the child's past conduct

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner:e1:o1:1
# text = The failure is attributable to the child's past conduct
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	attributable	attributable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	past	past	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the failure |  |  |  |  | to the child's past conduct; attributable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **conduct** |  | the child |  |  |  |  |  | nom conduct «act transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The failure arises where a child neglects to telephone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner:e1:o2:1
# text = The failure arises where a child neglects to telephone
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	arises	arise	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	7	advmod	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	neglects	neglect	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	telephone	telephone	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **arise** | present | the failure |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **neglect** | present | a child |  |  |  |  |  | vn neglect-75.1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **not** **telephone** *speech: other* | to-infinitive | a child *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The failure is the remaining parent's in every case

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner:e1:o3:1
# text = The failure is the remaining parent's in every case
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	remaining	remaining	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	10	det	_	_
10	case	case	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the failure |  |  | every case |  | 's the remaining parent | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The failure rests with the parent and never with the child

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner:e1:o4:1
# text = The failure rests with the parent and never with the child
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	rests	rest	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
8	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rest** | present | the failure |  |  |  |  | with the parent and the child | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- 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 parent who left, and a new partner, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner/t11/)
- next →: [The parent who left, and a new partner, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner/e2/)
- ↑ back to [The parent who left, and a new partner](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/517-the-parent-who-left-and-a-new-partner/)