---
title: Ascertain the most honest means of withdrawing from a promise that c… — Vows, oaths and promises in faith · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the most honest means of withdrawing from a promise that cannot be fulfilled. Exam question 4 of lesson 88 «Vows, oaths and promises in faith» 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 w
---

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# Exam question 4 · Vows, oaths and promises in faith

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the most honest means of withdrawing from a promise that cannot be fulfilled.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, honest · **What happens:** ascertain, mean, withdraw, not fulfil · **To what, where:** promise

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 88 «Vows, oaths and promises in faith» 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/88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the most honest means of withdrawing from a promise that cannot be fulfilled.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	4	advmod	_	_
4	honest	honest	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	nsubj	_	_
5	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
6	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	withdrawing	withdraw	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	promise	promise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
12	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
14	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	fulfilled	fulfil	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the honest |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **withdraw** | gerund | the honest *not said here* |  |  | a promise |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from promise=Initial\_Location |
| 4 | **not** **fulfil** | can · passive |  | a promise |  |  |  |  | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fabrication of an illness on the appointed day

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith:e4:o1:1
# text = The fabrication of an illness on the appointed day
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fabrication	fabrication	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	illness	illness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	appointed	appoint	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **appoint** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **fabricate** |  |  | a illness on the appointed day |  |  |  |  | nom fabrication «communication transitive»: of=patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An early and truthful request for release, accompanied by an apology

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith:e4:o2:1
# text = An early and truthful request for release, accompanied by an apology
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
2	early	early	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	truthful	truthful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
5	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	release	release	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	accompanied	accompany	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	apology	apology	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **accompany** | participle |  | a early request for release *not said here* |  |  |  | by a apology | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent by apology=Destination |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The quiet transfer of the obligation to a third party who has not been told of it

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith:e4:o3:1
# text = The quiet transfer of the obligation to a third party who has not been told of it
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	transfer	transfer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	obligation	obligation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	third	third	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	10	amod	_	_
10	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
11	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	15	nsubj	_	_
12	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
14	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	told	tell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	acl:relcl	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **tell** *speech: assert* | present · perfect · passive |  | a third party |  |  |  | of party | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |
| 2 | **transfer** |  |  | the obligation to a third party |  |  |  |  | nom transfer «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The silent failure to appear without explanation

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith:e4:o4:1
# text = The silent failure to appear without explanation
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	appear	appear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	acl	_	_
6	without	without	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	explanation	explanation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **appear** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | without explanation | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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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- next →: [Owning up: the broken vase and the los…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/89-owning-up-the-broken-vase-and-the-lost-library-book/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Vows, oaths and promises in faith](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/88-vows-oaths-and-promises-in-faith/)