---
title: Identify the principal reason for which astronauts aboard an orbitin… — Earth from space · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which astronauts aboard an orbiting station appear weightless. Exam question 2 of lesson 13 «Earth from space» of the myths course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Exam question 2 · Earth from space

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which astronauts aboard an orbiting station appear weightless.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, astronauts · **What happens:** identify, orbit, appear · **To what, where:** principal reason

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 13 «Earth from space» of the myths 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/myths/13-earth-from-space/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which astronauts aboard an orbiting station appear weightless.
1	Identify	identify	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	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	7	det	_	_
7	astronauts	astronaut	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
8	aboard	aboard	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	orbiting	orbit	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	amod	_	_
11	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
12	appear	appear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
13	weightless	weightless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **orbit** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn orbit-51.9.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **appear** | present | which astronauts aboard a orbiting station |  |  |  |  | weightless *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They and the station are in continuous free fall about the Earth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e2:o1:1
# text = They and the station are in continuous free fall about the Earth
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	continuous	continuous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	free	free	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	fall	fall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	about	about	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | They |  |  | continuous free fall |  | about the Earth | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The station is maintained at reduced air pressure

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e2:o2:1
# text = The station is maintained at reduced air pressure
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	station	station	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	maintained	maintain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	reduced	reduce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
7	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	pressure	pressure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **maintain** | present · passive |  | the station |  | reduced air pressure |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **reduce** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Their garments are lighter than the air within the station

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e2:o3:1
# text = Their garments are lighter than the air within the station
1	Their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	garments	garment	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	lighter	light	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
5	than	than	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	within	within	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Their garments |  |  |  |  | than the air; within the station; light *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gravity is wholly absent at the altitude of the station

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e2:o4:1
# text = Gravity is wholly absent at the altitude of the station
1	Gravity	gravity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	wholly	wholly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	absent	absent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	altitude	altitude	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Gravity |  |  | the altitude of the station |  | absent, wholly *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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: [Earth from space, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/13-earth-from-space/e1/)
- next →: [Earth from space, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/13-earth-from-space/e3/)
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