--- title: State the principal reason for the twinkling of stars as observed fr… — Stars: what they are · tree and pragmatics description: State the principal reason for the twinkling of stars as observed from the surface of the Earth. Exam question 3 of lesson 17 «Stars: what they are» 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 wrong. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/space/17-stars-what-they-are/e3/) [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/) / [Space](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/space/) / [Stars: what they are](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/space/17-stars-what-they-are/) / e3 # Exam question 3 · Stars: what they are State the principal reason for the twinkling of stars as observed from the surface of the Earth. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** observe · **To what, where:** State principal reason, surface This is exam question 3 of lesson 17 «Stars: what they are» 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/17-stars-what-they-are/#e3). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:space:17-stars-what-they-are:e3:1 # text = State the principal reason for the twinkling of stars as observed from the surface of the Earth. 1 State state NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 principal principal ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 reason reason NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 5 for for ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 twinkling twinkling NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nmod _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 stars star NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 nmod _ _ 10 as as SCONJ IN _ 11 mark _ _ 11 observed observe VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 4 acl _ _ 12 from from ADP IN _ 14 case _ _ 13 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 14 det _ _ 14 surface surface NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 obl _ _ 15 of of ADP IN _ 17 case _ _ 16 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 17 det _ _ 17 Earth Earth PROPN NNP Number=Sing 14 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 18 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **observe** | participle | | the State principal reason for the twinkling of stars *not said here* | | the surface of the Earth | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | 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} The intermittent extinction and rekindling of their light ```conllu # sent_id = question:space:17-stars-what-they-are:e3:o1:1 # text = The intermittent extinction and rekindling of their light 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 intermittent intermittent ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 amod _ _ 3 extinction extinction NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 4 and and CCONJ CC _ 5 cc _ _ 5 rekindling rekindle VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 3 conj _ _ 6 of of ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 8 nmod:poss _ _ 8 light light NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **rekindle** | gerund | | | | | | of their light | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | | 2 | **light** | | their *= they* | | | | | | nom light «phenomenon transitive»: poss=agent | ### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2} The refraction of their light by moving layers of air ```conllu # sent_id = question:space:17-stars-what-they-are:e3:o2:1 # text = The refraction of their light by moving layers of air 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 refraction refraction NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 4 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 5 nmod:poss _ _ 5 light light NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ 6 by by ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 moving move VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 8 amod _ _ 8 layers layer NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nmod _ _ 9 of of ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 10 air air NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **move** | gerund | | | | | | | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **refract** | | moving layers of air | their light | | | | | nom refraction «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient by=agent | | 3 | **light** | | their *= they* | | | | | | nom light «phenomenon transitive»: poss=agent | ### Option 3 {#o3} The passage of birds across their light ```conllu # sent_id = question:space:17-stars-what-they-are:e3:o3:1 # text = The passage of birds across their light 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 passage passage NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 4 case _ _ 4 birds bird NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nmod _ _ 5 across across ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 7 nmod:poss _ _ 7 light light NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **pass** | | birds | | | birds's light | | | nom passage «act intransitive»: of=agent across=place | | 2 | **light** | | birds *= bird* | | | | | | nom light «phenomenon transitive»: poss=agent | ### Option 4 {#o4} The rapid rotation of the stars ```conllu # sent_id = question:space:17-stars-what-they-are:e3:o4:1 # text = The rapid rotation of the stars 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 rapid rapid ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 amod _ _ 3 rotation rotation 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 stars star NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **rotate** | | the stars | | | | | | nom rotation «act intransitive»: of=agent | **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. - ← previous: [Stars: what they are, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/space/17-stars-what-they-are/e2/) - next →: [Stars: what they are, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/space/17-stars-what-they-are/e4/) - ↑ back to [Stars: what they are](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/space/17-stars-what-they-are/)