---
title: Ascertain the reason for which a satellite in orbit does not descend… — Rockets, record speeds and motion ever… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which a satellite in orbit does not descend to the Earth. Exam question 2 of lesson 38 «Rockets, record speeds and motion everywhere» 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
---

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# Exam question 2 · Rockets, record speeds and motion everywhere

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which a satellite in orbit does not descend to the Earth.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, satellite · **What happens:** ascertain, not descend · **To what, where:** reason, Earth

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 38 «Rockets, record speeds and motion everywhere» 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/38-rockets-record-speeds-and-motion-everywhere/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:38-rockets-record-speeds-and-motion-everywhere:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which a satellite in orbit does not descend to the Earth.
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	12	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	satellite	satellite	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	orbit	orbit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	descend	descend	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	parataxis	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	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** **descend** | present · do-support | a satellite in orbit |  |  | the Earth |  | for the reason | vn meander-47.7-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme to earth=Location |

<!-- .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 -->
Gravitation ceases entirely beyond the atmosphere

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:38-rockets-record-speeds-and-motion-everywhere:e2:o1:1
# text = Gravitation ceases entirely beyond the atmosphere
1	Gravitation	gravitation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	ceases	cease	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	beyond	beyond	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	atmosphere	atmosphere	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cease** | present | Gravitation |  |  |  |  | beyond the atmosphere; entirely *property* | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is suspended by the pressure of sunlight alone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:38-rockets-record-speeds-and-motion-everywhere:e2:o2:1
# text = It is suspended by the pressure of sunlight alone
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	suspended	suspend	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	pressure	pressure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	sunlight	sunlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
9	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **suspend** | present · passive | the pressure of sunlight | It |  |  |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **press** |  |  | sunlight |  |  |  |  | nom pressure «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its engines operate without any interruption so as to hold it above the Earth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:38-rockets-record-speeds-and-motion-everywhere:e2:o3:1
# text = Its engines operate without any interruption so as to hold it above the Earth
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	engines	engine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	operate	operate	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	without	without	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	6	det	_	_
6	interruption	interruption	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
8	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	hold	hold	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	_
12	above	above	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **operate** | present | Its engines |  |  |  |  | without any interruption | vn function-105.2.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **hold** | to-infinitive | Its engines *not said here* | interruption |  | the Earth |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent it=Theme above earth=Location |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its sideways velocity is such that it continually falls around the Earth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:38-rockets-record-speeds-and-motion-everywhere:e2:o4:1
# text = Its sideways velocity is such that it continually falls around the Earth
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	sideways	sideways	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	compound	_	_
3	velocity	velocity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
8	continually	continually	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	falls	fall	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
10	around	around	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Its sideways velocity |  |  |  |  | such *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **fall** | present | velocity |  |  | the Earth |  | continually *property* | vn occur-48.3 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme around earth=Location |

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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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