---
title: Ascertain the period of the year during which the Earth is nearest t… — Earth from space · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the period of the year during which the Earth is nearest to the Sun. Exam question 4 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 wrong.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Earth from space

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the period of the year during which the Earth is nearest to the Sun.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, be · **To what, where:** period

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This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the period of the year during which the Earth is nearest to the Sun.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	during	during	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
8	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	nearest	near	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	1	parataxis	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Sun.	Sunday	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the period of the year |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent period=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  | sunday | near *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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The autumn equinox

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e4:o1:1
# text = The autumn equinox
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	autumn	autumn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	equinox	equinox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The spring equinox

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e4:o2:1
# text = The spring equinox
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	spring	spring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	equinox	equinox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Early January

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e4:o3:1
# text = Early January
1	Early	early	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	January	January	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Late July

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:13-earth-from-space:e4:o4:1
# text = Late July
1	Late	late	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	July	July	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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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- ← previous: [Earth from space, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/13-earth-from-space/e3/)
- next →: [The Moon, the planets and the stars, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/14-the-moon-the-planets-and-the-stars/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Earth from space](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/13-earth-from-space/)