---
title: In respect of the assignment of blame to an infant incapable of spee… — Old guilt: secrets that grow and how t… · tree and pragmatics
description: In respect of the assignment of blame to an infant incapable of speech, determine which statement is correct. Exam question 4 of lesson 17 «Old guilt: secrets that grow and how to let them go» of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question 
---

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# Exam question 4 · Old guilt: secrets that grow and how to let them go

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In respect of the assignment of blame to an infant incapable of speech, determine which statement is correct.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, statement · **What happens:** determine, be, respect, assign · **To what, where:** respect, assignment, blame

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 17 «Old guilt: secrets that grow and how to let them go» 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/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go:e4:1
# text = In respect of the assignment of blame to an infant incapable of speech, determine which statement is correct.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	assignment	assignment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	blame	blame	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	infant	infant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	incapable	incapable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
15	determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
16	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	17	det	_	_
17	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	_
18	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
19	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	15	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  | respect of the assignment of blame to a infant incapable of speech |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | which statement |  |  |  |  | correct *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **respect** |  |  | the assignment of blame to a infant incapable of speech |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **assign** |  |  | blame to a infant incapable of speech |  |  |  |  | nom assignment «act transitive»: of=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 -->
Such attribution is permissible owing to the infant's age

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go:e4:o1:1
# text = Such attribution is permissible owing to the infant's age
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	attribution	attribution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	permissible	permissible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	owing	owe	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	infant	infant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	's	's	PART	POS	_	8	case	_	_
10	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Such attribution |  |  |  |  | permissible *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **owe** | gerund | Such attribution *not said here* |  |  |  | to the infant's age |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP PP.goal»: agent=Agent to age=Goal |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Such attribution is unfair, as the infant cannot contest it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go:e4:o2:1
# text = Such attribution is unfair, as the infant cannot contest it
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	attribution	attribution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	unfair	unfair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
6	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	infant	infant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
9	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	contest	contest	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Such attribution |  |  |  |  | unfair *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **contest** | can | the infant | attribution |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Infants are deemed responsible for all domestic damage

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go:e4:o3:1
# text = Infants are deemed responsible for all domestic damage
1	Infants	infant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	deemed	deem	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	responsible	responsible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
7	domestic	domestic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	damage	damage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **deem** | present · passive |  | Infants |  |  |  | for all domestic damage; responsible *property* | vn consider-29.9-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Such attribution relieves the true wrongdoer of all guilt

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go:e4:o4:1
# text = Such attribution relieves the true wrongdoer of all guilt
1	Such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	attribution	attribution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	relieves	relieve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	wrongdoer	wrongdoer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	guilt	guilt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **relieve** | present | Such attribution | the true wrongdoer of all guilt |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus wrongdoer=Experiencer |

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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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