---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — British and American words · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the divergence between British and American English vocabulary? Exam question 1 of lesson 21 «British and American words» of the language 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 · British and American words

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the divergence between British and American English vocabulary?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** divergence

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 21 «British and American words» of the language 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/language/21-british-and-american-words/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:21-british-and-american-words:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the divergence between British and American English vocabulary?
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	divergence	divergence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	between	between	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
12	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	conj	_	_
15	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	vocabulary	vocabulary	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	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 divergence |  |  |  | of the following statements; between British English vocabulary; accurately *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 -->
The two varieties are mutually unintelligible

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:21-british-and-american-words:e1:o1:1
# text = The two varieties are mutually unintelligible
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
3	varieties	variety	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	mutually	mutually	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	unintelligible	unintelligible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the two varieties |  |  |  |  | mutually, unintelligible *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
American usage constitutes an erroneous corruption of British usage, to be corrected

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:21-british-and-american-words:e1:o2:1
# text = American usage constitutes an erroneous corruption of British usage, to be corrected
1	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	usage	usage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	constitutes	constitute	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	erroneous	erroneous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	corruption	corruption	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	usage	usage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
12	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	corrected	correct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **constitute** | present | American usage | a erroneous corruption of British usage |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme corruption=Pivot |
| 2 | **correct** *speech: disagree* | to-infinitive · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn remedy-45.7 «NP V NP.patient» |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
British usage is regarded as obsolete in all respects by the authorities of both nations

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:21-british-and-american-words:e1:o3:1
# text = British usage is regarded as obsolete in all respects by the authorities of both nations
1	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	usage	usage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	regarded	regard	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	as	as	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	obsolete	obsolete	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	respects	respects	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	authorities	authority	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl:agent	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	15	det	_	_
15	nations	nation	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **regard** | present · passive | the authorities of both nations | British usage |  | all respects |  | as obsolete | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP PP.value»: agent=Agent subject=Theme as obsolete=Value |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each variety employs certain distinct words for identical objects, and both are correct

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:21-british-and-american-words:e1:o4:1
# text = Each variety employs certain distinct words for identical objects, and both are correct
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	variety	variety	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	employs	employ	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	certain	certain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	distinct	distinct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	identical	identical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	objects	object	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	14	nsubj	_	_
13	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **employ** | present | each variety | certain distinct words |  |  |  | for identical objects | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP PP.predicate»: agent=Agent word=Theme for object=Eventuality |
| 2 | **is** | present | both |  |  |  |  | correct *property* | tree rules |

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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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