---
title: Identify the principal reason for which an adult may assert that she… — Reading people in hard times: what's r… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which an adult may assert that she is "fine" whilst visibly distressed. Exam question 2 of lesson 28 «Reading people in hard times: what's really behind the mean face» of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Reading people in hard times: what's really behind the mea…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which an adult may assert that she is "fine" whilst visibly distressed.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, adult · **What happens:** identify, assert, be, distress · **To what, where:** principal reason · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 28 «Reading people in hard times: what's really behind the mean face» 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/28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which an adult may assert that she is "fine" whilst visibly distressed.
1	Identify	identify	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	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	adult	adult	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	assert	assert	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl:relcl	_	_
11	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
12	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
14	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	_
17	whilst	whilst	SCONJ	IN	_	19	mark	_	_
18	visibly	visibly	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
19	distressed	distress	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **assert** | may | a adult |  |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | adult |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **distress** | participle | a adult *not said here* |  |  |  |  | visibly *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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 -->
To protect a child from anxiety

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e2:o1:1
# text = To protect a child from anxiety
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	protect	protect	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	anxiety	anxiety	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **protect** | to-infinitive |  |  | a child |  |  | from anxiety | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent child=Beneficiary from anxiety=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because adults are incapable of sadness

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e2:o2:1
# text = Because adults are incapable of sadness
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
2	adults	adult	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	incapable	incapable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	sadness	sadness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | adults |  |  |  |  | of sadness; incapable *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To deceive the child for malicious ends

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e2:o3:1
# text = To deceive the child for malicious ends
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	deceive	deceive	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	malicious	malicious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	ends	end	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **deceive** | to-infinitive |  | the child |  |  | for malicious ends |  | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent child=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because distress is a sign of contentment

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e2:o4:1
# text = Because distress is a sign of contentment
1	Because	because	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	2	case	_	_
2	distress	distress	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	contentment	contentment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | a sign |  |  |  | because distress; of contentment | tree rules |

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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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- ↑ back to [Reading people in hard times: what's really behind the mean face](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/reflection/28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face/)