---
title: Ascertain the principal consequence of the invention of the microchip. — Computers and the internet · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal consequence of the invention of the microchip. Exam question 3 of lesson 36 «Computers and the internet» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Exam question 3 · Computers and the internet

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal consequence of the invention of the microchip.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, invent · **To what, where:** principal consequence, microchip

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 36 «Computers and the internet» of the history 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/history/36-computers-and-the-internet/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:36-computers-and-the-internet:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the principal consequence of the invention of the microchip.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	consequence	consequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	invention	invention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	microchip	microchip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal consequence of the invention of the microchip |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent consequence=Topic |
| 2 | **invent** |  |  | the microchip |  |  |  |  | nom invention «cognition 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Electricity was rendered unnecessary

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:36-computers-and-the-internet:e3:o1:1
# text = Electricity was rendered unnecessary
1	Electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	rendered	render	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	unnecessary	unnecessary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | past · passive |  | Electricity |  |  |  | unnecessary *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Computers became small and inexpensive enough for domestic use

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:36-computers-and-the-internet:e3:o2:1
# text = Computers became small and inexpensive enough for domestic use
1	Computers	computer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	became	become	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	inexpensive	inexpensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
6	enough	enough	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	domestic	domestic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **become** | past | Computers |  |  |  |  | for domestic use; small *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Computers came to occupy entire buildings and required many operators

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:36-computers-and-the-internet:e3:o3:1
# text = Computers came to occupy entire buildings and required many operators
1	Computers	computer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	occupy	occupy	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	entire	entire	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	buildings	building	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	required	require	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
9	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	operators	operator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | Computers |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **occupy** | to-infinitive | Computers *not said here* | entire buildings |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus building=Experiencer |
| 3 | **require** | past | Computers *not said here* | many operators |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme operator=Precondition |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The telephone was abolished

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:36-computers-and-the-internet:e3:o4:1
# text = The telephone was abolished
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	telephone	telephone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	abolished	abolish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **abolish** | past · passive |  | the telephone |  |  |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: subject=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.

<!-- /div -->

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- next →: [Computers and the internet, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/36-computers-and-the-internet/e4/)
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