---
title: Ascertain which of the following most accurately describes the signi… — Hard things at home: broken promises,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain which of the following most accurately describes the significance of words spoken repeatedly in anger by a parent. Exam question 4 of lesson 13 «Hard things at home: broken promises, silence, money and illness» of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and
---

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# Exam question 4 · Hard things at home: broken promises, silence, money and i…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain which of the following most accurately describes the significance of words spoken repeatedly in anger by a parent.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, follow, describe, speak · **To what, where:** significance, words, anger · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 13 «Hard things at home: broken promises, silence, money and illness» of the reflection 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/reflection/13-hard-things-at-home-broken-promises-silence-money-and-illness/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:13-hard-things-at-home-broken-promises-silence-money-and-illness:e4:1
# text = Ascertain which of the following most accurately describes the significance of words spoken repeatedly in anger by a parent.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	ccomp	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	significance	significance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
13	spoken	speak	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	acl	_	_
14	repeatedly	repeatedly	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	anger	anger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
17	by	by	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **describe** | present |  | the significance of words |  |  |  | accurately *property* | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent significance=Theme |
| 4 | **speak** *speech: other* | participle |  | words *not said here* |  | anger |  | by a parent; repeatedly *property* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
Such words should be repeated by the child to the parent in return

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:13-hard-things-at-home-broken-promises-silence-money-and-illness:e4:o1:1
# text = Such words should be repeated by the child to the parent in return
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	return	return	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | should · passive | the child | Such words | the parent in return |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent subject=Topic to parent=Recipient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Such words are of no consequence and never affect a child

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:13-hard-things-at-home-broken-promises-silence-money-and-illness:e4:o2:1
# text = Such words are of no consequence and never affect a child
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	6	det	_	_
6	consequence	consequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	affect	affect	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Such words |  |  |  |  | of no consequence | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **affect** | infinitive | Such words *not said here* | a child |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus child=Experiencer |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Such words may persist in memory but do not establish their own truth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:13-hard-things-at-home-broken-promises-silence-money-and-illness:e4:o3:1
# text = Such words may persist in memory but do not establish their own truth
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	persist	persist	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	memory	memory	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	do	do	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	aux	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	establish	establish	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
11	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
12	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **persist** | may | Such words |  |  | memory |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in memory=Location |
| 2 | **not** **establish** | infinitive · do-support | Such words *not said here* | words's own truth |  |  |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent truth=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Such words constitute an accurate assessment of the child's character

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:13-hard-things-at-home-broken-promises-silence-money-and-illness:e4:o4:1
# text = Such words constitute an accurate assessment of the child's character
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	constitute	constitute	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	accurate	accurate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	assessment	assessment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **constitute** | present | Such words | a accurate assessment of the child's character |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme assessment=Pivot |
| 2 | **assess** |  |  | the child's character |  |  |  |  | nom assessment «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

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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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