---
title: Ascertain the principal reason for which mountain roads are construc… — Wheels, axles, ramps and screws · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal reason for which mountain roads are constructed in a zigzag pattern. Exam question 2 of lesson 34 «Wheels, axles, ramps and screws» 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 wr
---

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# Exam question 2 · Wheels, axles, ramps and screws

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal reason for which mountain roads are constructed in a zigzag pattern.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, construct · **To what, where:** principal reason, mountain roads, zigzag pattern

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 34 «Wheels, axles, ramps and screws» 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/34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the principal reason for which mountain roads are constructed in a zigzag pattern.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	10	obl	_	_
7	mountain	mountain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	roads	road	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
9	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	constructed	construct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	zigzag	zigzag	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	pattern	pattern	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **construct** | present · passive |  | mountain roads |  | a zigzag pattern |  | for the principal reason | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: subject=Result for which=Beneficiary |

<!-- .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 distance is reduced at the cost of a steeper gradient

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws:e2:o1:1
# text = The distance is reduced at the cost of a steeper gradient
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	distance	distance	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	reduced	reduce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	steeper	steep	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	11	amod	_	_
11	gradient	gradient	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reduce** | present · passive |  | the distance |  | the cost of a steeper gradient |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **cost** |  |  | a steeper gradient |  |  |  |  | nom cost «possession transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The rock prevents the construction of straight roads

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws:e2:o2:1
# text = The rock prevents the construction of straight roads
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	prevents	prevent	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	construction	construction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	straight	straight	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	roads	road	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prevent** | present | the rock | the construction of straight roads |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer construction=Theme |
| 2 | **construct** |  |  | straight roads |  |  |  |  | nom construction «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Drivers are thereby prevented from sleeping

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws:e2:o3:1
# text = Drivers are thereby prevented from sleeping
1	Drivers	driver	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	prevented	prevent	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	sleeping	sleeping	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prevent** | present · passive |  | Drivers |  | sleeping |  | thereby *property* | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: subject=Beneficiary from sleeping=Eventuality |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The gradient is reduced at the cost of a greater distance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws:e2:o4:1
# text = The gradient is reduced at the cost of a greater distance
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	gradient	gradient	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	reduced	reduce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	greater	great	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	11	amod	_	_
11	distance	distance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reduce** | present · passive |  | the gradient |  | the cost of a greater distance |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **cost** |  |  | a greater distance |  |  |  |  | nom cost «possession transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- div src -->

**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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- next →: [Wheels, axles, ramps and screws, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/physics/34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Wheels, axles, ramps and screws](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/physics/34-wheels-axles-ramps-and-screws/)