---
title: It is stated in a work of natural history that the heart of a blue w… — Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is stated in a work of natural history that the heart of a blue whale may weigh approximately one hundred and eighty kilograms. Ascertain the correct classification of this statement. Exam question 4 of lesson 52 «Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side» of the language course of Mova'
---

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# Exam question 4 · Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is stated in a work of natural history that the heart of a blue whale may weigh approximately one hundred and eighty kilograms. Ascertain the correct classification of this statement.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** heart, natural history, you · **What happens:** state, weigh, work, ascertain, classify · **To what, where:** It, work, natural history, correct classification, statement

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 52 «Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side» 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/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is stated in a work of natural history that the heart of a blue whale may weigh approximately one hundred and eighty kilograms.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e4:1
# text = It is stated in a work of natural history that the heart of a blue whale may weigh approximately one hundred and eighty kilograms.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	stated	state	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	natural	natural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	history	history	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	18	obj	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	heart	heart	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	blue	blue	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	whale	whale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
17	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	18	aux	_	_
18	weigh	weigh	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	acl:relcl	_	_
19	approximately	approximately	ADV	RB	_	21	advmod	_	_
20	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	21	compound	_	_
21	hundred	hundred	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	24	nummod	_	_
22	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	23	cc	_	_
23	eighty	eighty	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	21	conj	_	_
24	kilograms	kilogram	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **state** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | It |  | a work of natural history |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic |
| 2 | **weigh** | may | the heart of a blue whale | natural history |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **work** |  | natural history |  |  |  |  |  | nom work «act intransitive»: of=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Ascertain the correct classification of this statement.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e4:2
# text = Ascertain the correct classification of this statement.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	classification	classification	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	7	det	_	_
7	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	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 correct classification of this statement |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent classification=Topic |
| 2 | **classify** |  |  | this statement |  |  |  |  | nom classification «act transitive»: of=patient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A reported measurement of fact

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e4:o1:1
# text = A reported measurement of fact
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	reported	report	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	measurement	measurement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	fact	fact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **report** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **measure** |  |  | fact |  |  |  |  | nom measurement «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An instance of hyperbole

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e4:o2:1
# text = An instance of hyperbole
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	instance	instance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	hyperbole	hyperbole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **instance** |  |  | hyperbole |  |  |  |  | nom instance «event transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An instance of sarcasm

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e4:o3:1
# text = An instance of sarcasm
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	instance	instance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	sarcasm	sarcasm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **instance** |  |  | sarcasm |  |  |  |  | nom instance «event transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An instance of understatement

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e4:o4:1
# text = An instance of understatement
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	instance	instance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	understatement	understatement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **instance** |  |  | understatement |  |  |  |  | nom instance «event transitive»: of=patient |

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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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- ← previous: [Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/e3/)
- next →: [Told you a hundred times: how other la…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/53-told-you-a-hundred-times-how-other-languages-exaggerate-and-play-down/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/)