---
title: Ascertain the signification of the phrase «the communion of saints»… — What happens after we die? What our ch… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the signification of the phrase «the communion of saints» as employed in the Creed. Exam question 4 of lesson 72 «What happens after we die? What our church teaches» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each 
---

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# Exam question 4 · What happens after we die? What our church teaches

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the signification of the phrase «the communion of saints» as employed in the Creed.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, saints · **What happens:** ascertain, employ, signify, commune · **To what, where:** signification, Creed, phrase

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 72 «What happens after we die? What our church teaches» 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/72-what-happens-after-we-die-what-our-church-teaches/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:72-what-happens-after-we-die-what-our-church-teaches:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the signification of the phrase «the communion of saints» as employed in the Creed.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	signification	signification	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	phrase	phrase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	communion	communion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	saints	saint	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
13	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
14	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	Creed	Creed	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the signification of the phrase |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent signification=Topic |
| 2 | **employ** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  | the Creed |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **signify** |  |  | the phrase |  |  |  |  | nom signification «communication transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **commune** *in a quote* |  | saints |  |  |  |  |  | nom communion «act intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The distribution of bread exclusively to clergy

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:72-what-happens-after-we-die-what-our-church-teaches:e4:o1:1
# text = The distribution of bread exclusively to clergy
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	distribution	distribution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	bread	bread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	clergy	clergy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **distribute** |  |  | bread |  |  |  | to clergy | nom distribution «cognition transitive»: of=patient to=obl |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fellowship of all Christians, both living and departed, in the family of God

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:72-what-happens-after-we-die-what-our-church-teaches:e4:o2:1
# text = The fellowship of all Christians, both living and departed, in the family of God
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fellowship	fellowship	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	5	det	_	_
5	Christians	Christian	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	living	living	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	departed	depart	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	God	God	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **depart** | past | the fellowship of all Christians and both living |  |  | the family of God |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A society of persons who possess miraculous powers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:72-what-happens-after-we-die-what-our-church-teaches:e4:o3:1
# text = A society of persons who possess miraculous powers
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	society	society	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	possess	possess	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	miraculous	miraculous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	powers	power	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present | persons | miraculous powers |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot power=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A ceremony restricted to persons formally declared saints

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:72-what-happens-after-we-die-what-our-church-teaches:e4:o4:1
# text = A ceremony restricted to persons formally declared saints
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ceremony	ceremony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	restricted	restrict	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
6	formally	formally	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	declared	declare	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	saints	saint	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **restrict** | participle |  | a ceremony *not said here* | persons |  |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Causer to person=Goal |
| 2 | **declare** *speech: other* | past | a ceremony | saints |  |  |  | formally *property* | vn declare-29.4-1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent saint=Attribute |

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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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