---
title: Identify the reason which would be accorded the greatest weight in e… — How to argue: reasons and evidence · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the reason which would be accorded the greatest weight in ethical deliberation. Exam question 2 of lesson 39 «How to argue: reasons and evidence» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice
---

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# Exam question 2 · How to argue: reasons and evidence

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the reason which would be accorded the greatest weight in ethical deliberation.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, accord · **To what, where:** reason, ethical deliberation

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 39 «How to argue: reasons and evidence» 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/39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence:e2:1
# text = Identify the reason which would be accorded the greatest weight in ethical deliberation.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
6	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	accorded	accord	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	greatest	great	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	10	amod	_	_
10	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	ethical	ethical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	deliberation	deliberation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **accord** | would · passive |  | the reason |  | ethical deliberation |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.goal NP»: subject=Goal weight=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
That the action would occasion harm to an innocent party

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence:e2:o1:1
# text = That the action would occasion harm to an innocent party
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	occasion	occasion	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	innocent	innocent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **occasion** | would | that action | harm |  |  |  | to a innocent party | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the action is desired by the person concerned

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence:e2:o2:1
# text = That the action is desired by the person concerned
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	desired	desire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	concerned	concerned	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **desire** | present · passive | the person | that action |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the action is presently undertaken by many others

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence:e2:o3:1
# text = That the action is presently undertaken by many others
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
5	presently	presently	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	undertaken	undertake	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **undertake** | present · passive | many others | that action |  |  |  | presently *property* | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Eventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That the action has been sanctioned by an older acquaintance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence:e2:o4:1
# text = That the action has been sanctioned by an older acquaintance
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	sanctioned	sanction	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	amod	_	_
10	acquaintance	acquaintance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sanction** | present · perfect · passive | a older acquaintance | that action |  |  |  |  | vn allow-64.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Beneficiary |

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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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- ← previous: [How to argue: reasons and evidence, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence/e1/)
- next →: [How to argue: reasons and evidence, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence/e3/)
- ↑ back to [How to argue: reasons and evidence](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence/)