---
title: In respect of the saying "hurt people hurt people", determine which… — Reading people in hard times: what's r… · tree and pragmatics
description: In respect of the saying "hurt people hurt people", determine which statement is correct. Exam question 4 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 question and of 
---

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# Exam question 4 · Reading people in hard times: what's really behind the mea…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In respect of the saying "hurt people hurt people", determine which statement is correct.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** people, statement · **What happens:** hurt, determine, be, respect · **To what, where:** respect, people, saying · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e4:1
# text = In respect of the saying "hurt people hurt people", determine which statement is correct.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	saying	saying	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	hurt	hurt	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	hurt	hurt	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	parataxis	_	_
10	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
13	determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	9	parataxis	_	_
14	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	15	det	_	_
15	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
17	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hurt** *in a quote* | past |  |  |  | respect of the saying |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **hurt** *in a quote* | present | people | people |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **determine** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **be** *speech: disagree* | present | which statement |  |  |  |  | correct *property* | tree rules |
| 5 | **respect** |  |  | the saying |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
It explains unkind conduct without excusing it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e4:o1:1
# text = It explains unkind conduct without excusing it
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	explains	explain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	unkind	unkind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	without	without	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	excusing	excuse	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | present | It | unkind conduct |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent conduct=Topic |
| 2 | **excuse** | gerund |  | conduct |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It establishes that unkind conduct is wholly excused

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e4:o2:1
# text = It establishes that unkind conduct is wholly excused
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	establishes	establish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
4	unkind	unkind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
7	wholly	wholly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	excused	excuse	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **establish** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **excuse** | present · passive |  | unkind conduct |  |  |  | wholly *property* | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It requires that unkind conduct be reciprocated

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e4:o3:1
# text = It requires that unkind conduct be reciprocated
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	requires	require	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	unkind	unkind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	reciprocated	reciprocate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **reciprocate** | infinitive · passive |  | unkind conduct |  |  |  |  | vn reciprocate-112-1 «NP V PP»: subject=Eventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It applies solely to persons who are physically injured

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face:e4:o4:1
# text = It applies solely to persons who are physically injured
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	applies	apply	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
8	physically	physically	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	injured	injure	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **apply** | present | It |  |  |  |  | to persons; solely *property* | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **injure** | present · passive |  | persons |  |  |  | physically *property* | 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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