---
title: Ascertain the method by which the majority of exoplanets have been d… — Exoplanets and the search for life · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the method by which the majority of exoplanets have been discovered. Exam question 2 of lesson 26 «Exoplanets and the search for life» 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 · Exoplanets and the search for life

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the method by which the majority of exoplanets have been discovered.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, method · **What happens:** ascertain, discover · **To what, where:** method, majority

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 26 «Exoplanets and the search for life» 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/26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the method by which the majority of exoplanets have been discovered.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	method	method	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	majority	majority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	exoplanets	exoplanet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
10	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	discovered	discover	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	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 method |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent method=Topic |
| 2 | **discover** | present · perfect · passive | the method | the majority of exoplanets |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Topic |

<!-- .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 -->
Direct photography of each planet with large telescopes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:e2:o1:1
# text = Direct photography of each planet with large telescopes
1	Direct	direct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	photography	photography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	5	det	_	_
5	planet	planet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	telescopes	telescope	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The detection of artificial radio signals

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:e2:o2:1
# text = The detection of artificial radio signals
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	detection	detection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	artificial	artificial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	radio	radio	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	signals	signal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **detect** |  |  | artificial radio signals |  |  |  |  | nom detection «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Visits by crewed spacecraft

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:e2:o3:1
# text = Visits by crewed spacecraft
1	Visits	visit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	crewed	crew	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	amod	_	_
4	spacecraft	spacecraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **crew** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn captain-29.8-1 «NP V PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **visit** |  | crewed spacecraft |  |  |  |  |  | nom visit «act transitive»: by=agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The transit method, a slight dimming of the star

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:e2:o4:1
# text = The transit method, a slight dimming of the star
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	transit	transit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	method	method	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	slight	slight	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	obl:unmarked	_	_
7	dimming	dim	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	acl:relcl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	star	star	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dim** | gerund | the transit method *not said here* | a slight |  |  |  | of the star | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

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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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