---
title: Which of the following most accurately characterises a moral dilemma? — Dilemmas about truth and friendship · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following most accurately characterises a moral dilemma? Exam question 1 of lesson 41 «Dilemmas about truth and friendship» 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 was right.
---

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# Exam question 1 · Dilemmas about truth and friendship

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following most accurately characterises a moral dilemma?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** moral dilemma

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 41 «Dilemmas about truth and friendship» 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/41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship:e1:1
# text = Which of the following most accurately characterises a moral dilemma?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	csubj	_	_
5	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	6	advmod	_	_
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	moral	moral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	dilemma	dilemma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | a moral dilemma |  |  |  | accurately *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
A situation wherein two obligations, each apparently binding, cannot both be fulfilled

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship:e1:o1:1
# text = A situation wherein two obligations, each apparently binding, cannot both be fulfilled
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	wherein	wherein	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
4	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	obligations	obligation	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	nsubj	_	_
8	apparently	apparently	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	binding	bind	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
11	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
13	both	both	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
14	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	fulfilled	fulfil	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bind** | gerund | each |  |  |  |  | apparently *property* | vn shake-22.3-2-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **fulfil** | can · passive |  | a situation  two obligations |  |  |  | both *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A situation wherein a single rule is obeyed without any difficulty whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship:e1:o2:1
# text = A situation wherein a single rule is obeyed without any difficulty whatsoever
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	wherein	wherein	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	obeyed	obey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
9	without	without	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	11	det	_	_
11	difficulty	difficulty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
12	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **obey** | present · passive |  | a situation |  |  |  | without any difficulty; whatsoever, wherein *property* | vn abide\_by-93.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A situation wherein the correct course of action is established by a majority vote

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship:e1:o3:1
# text = A situation wherein the correct course of action is established by a majority vote
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	wherein	wherein	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	course	course	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl:relcl	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	majority	majority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	vote	vote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **establish** | present · passive | a majority vote | the correct course of action |  |  |  | wherein *property* | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A situation wherein the agent possesses no obligations of any kind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship:e1:o4:1
# text = A situation wherein the agent possesses no obligations of any kind
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	wherein	wherein	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	agent	agent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	possesses	possess	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	8	det	_	_
8	obligations	obligation	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	11	det	_	_
11	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present | a situation | no obligations of any kind |  |  |  | wherein *property* | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot obligation=Theme |
| 2 | **obligate** |  |  | any kind |  |  |  |  | nom obligation «act transitive»: of=patient |

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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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