---
title: Whereas a visitor is uncertain what to say to a dying relative who c… — Kindness to the dying and visiting the… · tree and pragmatics
description: Whereas a visitor is uncertain what to say to a dying relative who cannot speak, ascertain the conduct most consistent with the matters taught. Exam question 4 of lesson 77 «Kindness to the dying and visiting the old» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree a
---

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# Exam question 4 · Kindness to the dying and visiting the old

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Whereas a visitor is uncertain what to say to a dying relative who cannot speak, ascertain the conduct most consistent with the matters taught.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** visitor, dying relative, matters · **What happens:** be, say, die, not speak, ascertain, teach · **To what, where:** dying relative, conduct · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 77 «Kindness to the dying and visiting the old» 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/77-kindness-to-the-dying-and-visiting-the-old/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:77-kindness-to-the-dying-and-visiting-the-old:e4:1
# text = Whereas a visitor is uncertain what to say to a dying relative who cannot speak, ascertain the conduct most consistent with the matters taught.
1	Whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	visitor	visitor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	uncertain	uncertain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	advcl	_	_
6	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	obj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	say	say	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	dying	die	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	12	amod	_	_
12	relative	relative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
13	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	16	nsubj	_	_
14	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	_
16	speak	speak	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
18	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	8	conj	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	_
21	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	22	advmod	_	_
22	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	amod	_	_
23	with	with	SCONJ	IN	_	26	mark	_	_
24	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	25	det	_	_
25	matters	matter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	26	nsubj	_	_
26	taught	teach	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	22	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a visitor |  |  |  |  | uncertain *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  |  | a dying relative |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent what=Topic to relative=Recipient |
| 3 | **die** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 4 | **not** **speak** *speech: other* | can | a dying relative |  |  |  |  |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **ascertain** | infinitive |  | the conduct |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent conduct=Topic |
| 6 | **teach** *speech: other* | past | the matters |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Presence, the holding of a hand, and reading aloud

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:77-kindness-to-the-dying-and-visiting-the-old:e4:o1:1
# text = Presence, the holding of a hand, and reading aloud
1	Presence	presence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	holding	hold	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	conj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	reading	read	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
11	aloud	aloud	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | of a hand | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **read** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | aloud *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Loud speech intended to rouse the patient

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:77-kindness-to-the-dying-and-visiting-the-old:e4:o2:1
# text = Loud speech intended to rouse the patient
1	Loud	loud	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	intended	intend	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	rouse	rouse	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	patient	patient	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **intend** | participle |  | Loud speech *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **rouse** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | the patient |  |  |  |  | vn stimulate-59.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent patient=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Discussion confined to the disposal of property

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:77-kindness-to-the-dying-and-visiting-the-old:e4:o3:1
# text = Discussion confined to the disposal of property
1	Discussion	discussion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	confined	confine	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	disposal	disposal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	property	property	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **confine** | participle |  | Discussion *not said here* |  | the disposal of property |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent to disposal=Destination |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Prompt departure so as to avoid any disturbance to the patient or to the staff

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:77-kindness-to-the-dying-and-visiting-the-old:e4:o4:1
# text = Prompt departure so as to avoid any disturbance to the patient or to the staff
1	Prompt	prompt	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	departure	departure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
3	so	so	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
4	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	avoid	avoid	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	disturbance	disturbance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	patient	patient	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
12	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	staff	staff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avoid** | to-infinitive |  | Prompt departure |  |  |  | to the patient or the staff | tree rules |

<!-- 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 -->

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