---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Souls, ghosts and stories · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the evidence concerning the existence of ghosts? Exam question 1 of lesson 74 «Souls, ghosts and stories» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/74-souls-ghosts-and-stories/e1/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Religion ethics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/) / [Souls, ghosts and stories](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/74-souls-ghosts-and-stories/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · Souls, ghosts and stories

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the evidence concerning the existence of ghosts?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** evidence, ghosts · **What happens:** follow, characteris, concern, exist · **To what, where:** evidence, existence

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 74 «Souls, ghosts and stories» 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/74-souls-ghosts-and-stories/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:74-souls-ghosts-and-stories:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the evidence concerning the existence of ghosts?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	existence	existence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	ghosts	ghost	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	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 |  | the evidence |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **concern** | gerund | the evidence *not said here* | the existence of ghosts |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus existence=Experiencer |
| 4 | **exist** |  | ghosts |  |  |  |  |  | nom existence «state 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Their existence is affirmed in the Christian creeds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:74-souls-ghosts-and-stories:e1:o1:1
# text = Their existence is affirmed in the Christian creeds
1	Their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	existence	existence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	affirmed	affirm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	Christian	Christian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	creeds	creed	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **affirm** | present · passive |  | Their existence |  | the Christian creeds |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Stimulus |
| 2 | **exist** |  | Their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom existence «state intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Scientific investigation has conclusively demonstrated their existence

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:74-souls-ghosts-and-stories:e1:o2:1
# text = Scientific investigation has conclusively demonstrated their existence
1	Scientific	scientific	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	investigation	investigation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	conclusively	conclusively	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	demonstrated	demonstrate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	existence	existence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **demonstrate** | present · perfect · passive |  | Scientific investigation |  |  |  | conclusively *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **exist** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom existence «state intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ghosts have been observed by every person who has grieved

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:74-souls-ghosts-and-stories:e1:o3:1
# text = Ghosts have been observed by every person who has grieved
1	Ghosts	ghost	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	observed	observe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
9	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	grieved	grieve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	7	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **observe** | present · perfect · passive | every person | Ghosts |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent subject=Topic |
| 2 | **grieve** | present · perfect | every person |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No reliable evidence establishes that ghosts exist

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:74-souls-ghosts-and-stories:e1:o4:1
# text = No reliable evidence establishes that ghosts exist
1	No	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	3	det	_	_
2	reliable	reliable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	establishes	establish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	ghosts	ghost	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	exist	exist	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **establish** | present | no reliable evidence |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot clause=Topic |
| 2 | **exist** | present | ghosts |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Souls, ghosts and stories, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/74-souls-ghosts-and-stories/t11/)
- next →: [Souls, ghosts and stories, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/74-souls-ghosts-and-stories/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Souls, ghosts and stories](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/74-souls-ghosts-and-stories/)