---
title: In respect of the persistence of superstitious beliefs, determine wh… — Tricks the mind plays: inner voices, s… · tree and pragmatics
description: In respect of the persistence of superstitious beliefs, determine which statement is correct. Exam question 4 of lesson 27 «Tricks the mind plays: inner voices, superstitions and being sure but wrong» of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the q
---

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# Exam question 4 · Tricks the mind plays: inner voices, superstitions and bei…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In respect of the persistence of superstitious beliefs, determine which statement is correct.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, statement · **What happens:** determine, be, respect · **To what, where:** respect, persistence

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 27 «Tricks the mind plays: inner voices, superstitions and being sure but wrong» 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/27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong:e4:1
# text = In respect of the persistence of superstitious beliefs, determine which statement is correct.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	persistence	persistence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	superstitious	superstitious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	beliefs	belief	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
10	determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
11	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	12	det	_	_
12	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	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 persistence of superstitious beliefs |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | which statement |  |  |  |  | correct *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **respect** |  |  | the persistence of superstitious beliefs |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Instances of apparent success are recalled while failures are forgotten

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong:e4:o1:1
# text = Instances of apparent success are recalled while failures are forgotten
1	Instances	instance	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	apparent	apparent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	success	success	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	recalled	recall	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	failures	failure	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	forgotten	forget	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **recall** | present · passive |  | Instances of apparent success |  |  |  |  | vn banish-10.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **forget** | present · passive |  | failures |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **instance** |  |  | apparent success |  |  |  |  | nom instance «event transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Superstitions are persistently confirmed by scientific evidence

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong:e4:o2:1
# text = Superstitions are persistently confirmed by scientific evidence
1	Superstitions	superstition	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	persistently	persistently	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	confirmed	confirm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	scientific	scientific	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **confirm** | present · passive | scientific evidence | Superstitions |  |  |  | persistently *property* | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot subject=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Superstitions are maintained solely by persons of low intelligence or poor education

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong:e4:o3:1
# text = Superstitions are maintained solely by persons of low intelligence or poor education
1	Superstitions	superstition	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	maintained	maintain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	low	low	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	intelligence	intelligence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	poor	poor	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	education	education	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **maintain** | present · passive | persons of low intelligence or poor education | Superstitions |  |  |  | solely *property* | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lucky objects measurably improve examination performance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong:e4:o4:1
# text = Lucky objects measurably improve examination performance
1	Lucky	lucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	objects	object	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	measurably	measurably	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	improve	improve	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	examination	examination	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	performance	performance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **improve** | present | Lucky objects | examination performance |  |  |  | measurably *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent performance=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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- ← previous: [Tricks the mind plays: inner voices, s…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/reflection/27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong/e3/)
- next →: [Reading people in hard times: what's r…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/reflection/28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Tricks the mind plays: inner voices, superstitions and being sure but wrong](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/reflection/27-tricks-the-mind-plays-inner-voices-superstitions-and-being-sure-but-wrong/)