---
title: Identify the principal reason for which the account of Nero playing… — Kings, queens and emperors · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which the account of Nero playing the fiddle during the conflagration of Rome cannot be accurate. Exam question 2 of lesson 19 «Kings, queens and emperors» of the myths course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of e
---

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# Exam question 2 · Kings, queens and emperors

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which the account of Nero playing the fiddle during the conflagration of Rome cannot be accurate.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, account · **What happens:** identify, play, not be, account · **To what, where:** principal reason, fiddle, Nero

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 19 «Kings, queens and emperors» 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/19-kings-queens-and-emperors/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:19-kings-queens-and-emperors:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which the account of Nero playing the fiddle during the conflagration of Rome cannot be accurate.
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	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	22	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	nsubj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	Nero	Nero	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
11	playing	play	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	fiddle	fiddle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	during	during	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	conflagration	conflagration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
17	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	Rome	Rome	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	_
19	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	22	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	22	advmod	_	_
21	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	22	cop	_	_
22	accurate	accurate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	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 | **play** | gerund | the account of Nero *not said here* | the fiddle |  |  | during the conflagration of Rome |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fiddle=Theme |
| 3 | **not** **is** | can | the account of Nero |  |  |  |  | for the principal reason; accurate *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **account** |  |  | Nero |  |  |  |  | nom account «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 -->
The fiddle had not been invented at that time

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:19-kings-queens-and-emperors:e2:o1:1
# text = The fiddle had not been invented at that time
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fiddle	fiddle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
5	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	invented	invent	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	9	det	_	_
9	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **invent** | past · perfect · passive |  | the fiddle |  |  | time |  | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Result |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fire occurred during the reign of another emperor

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:19-kings-queens-and-emperors:e2:o2:1
# text = The fire occurred during the reign of another emperor
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	occurred	occur	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	during	during	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	reign	reign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	emperor	emperor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **occur** | past | the fire |  |  |  | during the reign of another emperor |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Musical performance was prohibited during fires by law

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:19-kings-queens-and-emperors:e2:o3:1
# text = Musical performance was prohibited during fires by law
1	Musical	musical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	performance	performance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	prohibited	prohibit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	during	during	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	fires	fire	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl:agent	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prohibit** | past · passive | fires | Musical performance |  |  |  | by law | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nero was demonstrably incapable of music

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:19-kings-queens-and-emperors:e2:o4:1
# text = Nero was demonstrably incapable of music
1	Nero	Nero	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	demonstrably	demonstrably	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	incapable	incapable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	music	music	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Nero | incapable |  |  |  | of music; demonstrably *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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