---
title: Ascertain the approximate interval required for light emitted by the… — The Sun, our star · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the approximate interval required for light emitted by the Sun to reach the Earth. Exam question 2 of lesson 1 «The Sun, our star» of the space 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 2 · The Sun, our star

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the approximate interval required for light emitted by the Sun to reach the Earth.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, require, emit, reach · **To what, where:** approximate interval, Earth

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 1 «The Sun, our star» of the space 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/space/1-the-sun-our-star/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:1-the-sun-our-star:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the approximate interval required for light emitted by the Sun to reach the Earth.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	approximate	approximate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	interval	interval	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	required	require	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
8	emitted	emit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	Sun	Sun	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obl:agent	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	reach	reach	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	advcl	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	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* | the approximate interval |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent interval=Topic |
| 2 | **require** | participle |  | the approximate interval *not said here* |  |  |  | for light | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **emit** | participle |  | the approximate interval *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Source |
| 4 | **reach** | to-infinitive |  | the Earth |  |  |  |  | vn body\_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent earth=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
Approximately eight minutes and twenty seconds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:1-the-sun-our-star:e2:o1:1
# text = Approximately eight minutes and twenty seconds
1	Approximately	approximately	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	eight	eight	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
3	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
5	twenty	twenty	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	seconds	second	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is received at once, without any delay whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:1-the-sun-our-star:e2:o2:1
# text = It is received at once, without any delay whatsoever
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	received	receive	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	without	without	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	delay	delay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	parataxis	_	_
10	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **receive** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn admit-64.3-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: subject=Theme at once=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Approximately one hour, the time of a short journey

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:1-the-sun-our-star:e2:o3:1
# text = Approximately one hour, the time of a short journey
1	Approximately	approximately	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
3	hour	hour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	journey	journey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Approximately one second, about as long as a blink

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:1-the-sun-our-star:e2:o4:1
# text = Approximately one second, about as long as a blink
1	Approximately	approximately	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	0	root	_	_
3	second	second	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	2	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
5	about	about	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	as	as	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	2	advmod	_	_
8	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	blink	blink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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