---
title: Ascertain the reason for which sound cannot be transmitted through t… — What sound is: wobbles in the air · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which sound cannot be transmitted through the vacuum of space. Exam question 2 of lesson 17 «What sound is: wobbles in the air» of the physics 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 2 · What sound is: wobbles in the air

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which sound cannot be transmitted through the vacuum of space.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, not transmit · **To what, where:** reason, sound, vacuum

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 17 «What sound is: wobbles in the air» of the physics 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/physics/17-what-sound-is-wobbles-in-the-air/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:17-what-sound-is-wobbles-in-the-air:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which sound cannot be transmitted through the vacuum of space.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
6	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
9	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	transmitted	transmit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
11	through	through	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	vacuum	vacuum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	space	space	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **transmit** | can · passive |  | sound |  | the vacuum of space |  | for the reason | vn send-11.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The temperature of space is excessively low for any vibration

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:17-what-sound-is-wobbles-in-the-air:e2:o1:1
# text = The temperature of space is excessively low for any vibration
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	space	space	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	excessively	excessively	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	low	low	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	10	det	_	_
10	vibration	vibration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the temperature of space |  |  |  |  | for any vibration; excessively, low *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sound is absorbed by the light of the Sun

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:17-what-sound-is-wobbles-in-the-air:e2:o2:1
# text = Sound is absorbed by the light of the Sun
1	Sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	absorbed	absorb	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Sun	Sun	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **absorb** | present · passive | the light of the Sun | Sound |  |  |  |  | vn absorb-39.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Goal subject=Theme |
| 2 | **light** |  |  | the Sun |  |  |  |  | nom light «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The radiation of the stars obstructs it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:17-what-sound-is-wobbles-in-the-air:e2:o3:1
# text = The radiation of the stars obstructs it
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	radiation	radiation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	stars	star	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	obstructs	obstruct	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **obstruct** | present | the radiation of the stars | it |  |  |  |  | vn discourage-64.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer it=Eventuality |
| 2 | **radiate** |  |  | the stars |  |  |  |  | nom radiation «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
There exists no medium to transmit the vibration

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:17-what-sound-is-wobbles-in-the-air:e2:o4:1
# text = There exists no medium to transmit the vibration
1	There	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	2	expl	_	_
2	exists	exist	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	medium	medium	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	transmit	transmit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	vibration	vibration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exist** | present |  | no medium |  | there |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **transmit** | to-infinitive |  | the vibration |  |  |  |  | vn send-11.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vibration=Theme |

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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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