---
title: Ascertain the function of a lightning conductor affixed to a tall bu… — Static electricity: balloons, hair and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the function of a lightning conductor affixed to a tall building. Exam question 4 of lesson 26 «Static electricity: balloons, hair and sparks» 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 4 · Static electricity: balloons, hair and sparks

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the function of a lightning conductor affixed to a tall building.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, affix · **To what, where:** function, lightning conductor

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 26 «Static electricity: balloons, hair and sparks» 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/26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the function of a lightning conductor affixed to a tall building.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	lightning	lightning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	conductor	conductor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	affixed	affix	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	tall	tall	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	building	building	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	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 function of a lightning conductor |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic |
| 2 | **affix** | participle |  | a lightning conductor *not said here* |  |  |  | to a tall building | vn tape-22.4 «NP V ADV-Middle PP»: agent=Patient to building=Co-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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To amplify the discharge in order to protect adjacent buildings

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks:e4:o1:1
# text = To amplify the discharge in order to protect adjacent buildings
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	amplify	amplify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	discharge	discharge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	order	order	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	protect	protect	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
9	adjacent	adjacent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	buildings	building	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **amplify** | to-infinitive |  | the discharge |  | order |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent discharge=Patient |
| 2 | **protect** | to-infinitive |  | adjacent buildings |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent building=Beneficiary |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To repel thunderclouds from the vicinity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks:e4:o2:1
# text = To repel thunderclouds from the vicinity
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	repel	repel	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	thunderclouds	thundercloud	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	vicinity	vicinity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repel** | to-infinitive |  | thunderclouds |  | the vicinity |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus thundercloud=Experiencer |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To attract a greater number of discharges for storage

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks:e4:o3:1
# text = To attract a greater number of discharges for storage
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	attract	attract	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	greater	great	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	amod	_	_
5	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	discharges	discharge	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	storage	storage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attract** | to-infinitive |  | a greater number of discharges |  |  |  | for storage | vn lure-59.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent number=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To provide a path of low resistance whereby the discharge is conveyed safely to earth

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks:e4:o4:1
# text = To provide a path of low resistance whereby the discharge is conveyed safely to earth
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	provide	provide	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	path	path	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	low	low	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	resistance	resistance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	whereby	whereby	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	12	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	discharge	discharge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
13	safely	safely	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	earth	earth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **provide** | to-infinitive |  | a path of low resistance |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition path=Theme |
| 2 | **convey** | present · passive |  | the discharge | earth |  |  | safely, whereby *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: subject=Topic to earth=Recipient |

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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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- ↑ back to [Static electricity: balloons, hair and sparks](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/physics/26-static-electricity-balloons-hair-and-sparks/)