---
title: A swimming instructor remarks «Not bad for a beginner». Select the r… — ★★★ Olympiad: hyperbole and downplayin… · tree and pragmatics
description: A swimming instructor remarks «Not bad for a beginner». Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the remark. Exam question 4 of lesson 55 «★★★ Olympiad: hyperbole and downplaying puzzles» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics o
---

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# Exam question 4 · ★★★ Olympiad: hyperbole and downplaying puzzles

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A swimming instructor remarks «Not bad for a beginner». Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the remark.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** swimming instructor, you · **What happens:** remark, select, establish, mean · **To what, where:** bad, response, remark

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 55 «★★★ Olympiad: hyperbole and downplaying puzzles» 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/55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A swimming instructor remarks «Not bad for a beginner».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles:e4:1
# text = A swimming instructor remarks «Not bad for a beginner».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	swimming	swimming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	instructor	instructor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	remarks	remark	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	obj	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	beginner	beginner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remark** *speech: assert* | present | a swimming instructor | bad |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent bad=Topic |

<!-- .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:* Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the remark.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles:e4:2
# text = Select the response consistent with the established meaning of the remark.
1	Select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |
| 2 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 3 | **mean** |  |  | the remark |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unqualified praise implying that instruction is complete

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles:e4:o1:1
# text = Unqualified praise implying that instruction is complete
1	Unqualified	unqualified	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	praise	praise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	implying	imply	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	det	_	_
5	instruction	instruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	complete	complete	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **imply** | gerund | Unqualified praise *not said here* | that instruction |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot instruction=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present | Unqualified praise |  |  |  |  | complete *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unqualified condemnation of the performance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles:e4:o2:1
# text = Unqualified condemnation of the performance
1	Unqualified	unqualified	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	condemnation	condemnation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	performance	performance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **condemn** |  |  | the performance |  |  |  |  | nom condemnation «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A recommendation that the pupil discontinue swimming

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles:e4:o3:1
# text = A recommendation that the pupil discontinue swimming
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	recommendation	recommendation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	discontinue	discontinue	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl	_	_
7	swimming	swimming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **discontinue** | infinitive | the pupil | swimming |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector swimming=Eventuality |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Praise qualified by the expectation of further improvement

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:55-olympiad-hyperbole-and-downplaying-puzzles:e4:o4:1
# text = Praise qualified by the expectation of further improvement
1	Praise	praise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	qualified	qualify	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	expectation	expectation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	further	further	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	improvement	improvement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **qualify** | participle |  | Praise *not said here* |  |  |  | by the expectation of further improvement | vn masquerade-29.6 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **expect** |  |  | further improvement |  |  |  |  | nom expectation «cognition 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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