---
title: State the significance of the interrogative "Am I my brother's keepe… — Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel · tree and pragmatics
description: State the significance of the interrogative "Am I my brother's keeper?" as understood in the Biblical narrative. Exam question 3 of lesson 2 «Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each optio
---

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# Exam question 3 · Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
State the significance of the interrogative "Am I my brother's keeper?" as understood in the Biblical narrative.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, I · **What happens:** state, be, understand · **To what, where:** significance, keeper, Biblical narrative · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 2 «Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel» of the religion ethics 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/religion-ethics/2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel:e3:1
# text = State the significance of the interrogative "Am I my brother's keeper?" as understood in the Biblical narrative.
1	State	state	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	significance	significance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	interrogative	interrogative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	Am	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
9	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
10	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	's	's	PART	POS	_	11	case	_	_
13	keeper	keeper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
16	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
17	understood	understand	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
20	Biblical	biblical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	21	amod	_	_
21	narrative	narrative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **state** *speech: other* | imperative | you *not said here* | the significance of the interrogative |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent significance=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | I | my brother's keeper |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **understand** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  | the Biblical narrative |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Persons bear responsibility for the welfare of one another

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel:e3:o1:1
# text = Persons bear responsibility for the welfare of one another
1	Persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	bear	bear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	responsibility	responsibility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	welfare	welfare	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	appos	_	_
9	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	fixed	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bear** | present | Persons | responsibility |  |  |  | for the welfare | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer responsibility=Stimulus for welfare=Attribute |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Responsibility for others rests with the clergy alone, and not with the laity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel:e3:o2:1
# text = Responsibility for others rests with the clergy alone, and not with the laity
1	Responsibility	responsibility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	for	for	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	nmod	_	_
4	rests	rest	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	clergy	clergy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
12	with	with	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	laity	laity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rest** | present | Responsibility for others |  |  |  |  | with the clergy; with the laity; alone *property* | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Persons bear responsibility exclusively for themselves and their own affairs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel:e3:o3:1
# text = Persons bear responsibility exclusively for themselves and their own affairs
1	Persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	bear	bear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	responsibility	responsibility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	themselves	themselves	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	2	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
9	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	affairs	affair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bear** | present | Persons | responsibility |  |  |  | for Persons *= person*; exclusively *property* | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer responsibility=Stimulus for themselves=Attribute |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The question was uttered by Abel concerning his brother Cain

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel:e3:o4:1
# text = The question was uttered by Abel concerning his brother Cain
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	question	question	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	uttered	utter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Abel	Abel	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	case	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:desc	_	_
10	Cain	Cain	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **utter** *speech: other* | past · passive | Abel | the question |  |  |  | concern Cain  Abel's brother | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent subject=Topic |
| 2 | **concern** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=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.

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