--- title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Not unhappy and not half: litotes · tree and pragmatics description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the remark «he's not the brightest», made concerning a third party? Exam question 3 of lesson 50 «Not unhappy and not half: litotes» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questio --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes/e3/) [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/) / [Language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/) / [Not unhappy and not half: litotes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes/) / e3 # Exam question 3 · Not unhappy and not half: litotes Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the remark «he's not the brightest», made concerning a third party? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** he · **What happens:** follow, characteris, not be, make, concern · **To what, where:** remark, third party This is exam question 3 of lesson 50 «Not unhappy and not half: litotes» 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/50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes/#e3). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes:e3:1 # text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the remark «he's not the brightest», made concerning a third party? 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 remark remark NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ _ 11 « « PUNCT `` _ 16 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 16 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 13 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 16 cop _ _ 14 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 16 advmod _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 brightest bright ADJ JJS Degree=Sup 10 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 17 » » PUNCT '' _ 16 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 19 made make VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 conj _ _ 20 concerning concern VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 19 xcomp _ _ 21 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 23 det _ _ 22 third third ADJ JJ Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 23 amod _ _ 23 party party NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 24 ? ? PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` | # | 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 remark | | | | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **not** **is** *in a quote* | present | he | | | | | bright *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **make** | past | | | | | | | tree rules | | 5 | **concern** | gerund | | a third party | | | | | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus party=Experiencer | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1} A softened expression which nonetheless constitutes a disparagement ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes:e3:o1:1 # text = A softened expression which nonetheless constitutes a disparagement 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 softened soften VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 amod _ _ 3 expression expression NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 4 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 6 nsubj _ _ 5 nonetheless nonetheless ADV RB _ 6 advmod _ _ 6 constitutes constitute VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 acl:relcl _ _ 7 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 disparagement disparagement NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **soften** | participle | | | | | | | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | | 2 | **constitute** | present | a softened expression | a disparagement | | | | nonetheless *property* | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme disparagement=Pivot | ### Option 2 {#o2} A neutral observation without any judgement ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes:e3:o2:1 # text = A neutral observation without any judgement 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 neutral neutral ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 amod _ _ 3 observation observation NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 4 without without ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 6 det _ _ 6 judgement judgement NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nmod _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 3 {#o3} A comment concerning the person's lamp ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes:e3:o3:1 # text = A comment concerning the person's lamp 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 comment comment NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 concerning concern VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 2 acl _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 6 's 's PART POS _ 5 case _ _ 7 lamp lamp NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **concern** | gerund | a comment *not said here* | the person's lamp | | | | | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus lamp=Experiencer | ### Option 4 {#o4} A compliment upon the person's intelligence ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes:e3:o4:1 # text = A compliment upon the person's intelligence 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 compliment compliment NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 upon upon ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 6 's 's PART POS _ 5 case _ _ 7 intelligence intelligence NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. **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. - ← previous: [Not unhappy and not half: litotes, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes/e2/) - next →: [Not unhappy and not half: litotes, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes/e4/) - ↑ back to [Not unhappy and not half: litotes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/50-not-unhappy-and-not-half-litotes/)