---
title: A telescope sees a star dim slightly every 3 days. What might be hap… — Exoplanets and the search for life · tree and pragmatics
description: A telescope sees a star dim slightly every 3 days. What might be happening? Test 3 · ★ 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 wrong.
---

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# Test 3 · ★ · Exoplanets and the search for life

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A telescope sees a star dim slightly every 3 days. What might be happening?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** telescope · **What happens:** see, happen · **To what, where:** star

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★ of lesson 26 «Exoplanets and the search for life» of the space course of Mova's primary school. 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/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A telescope sees a star dim slightly every 3 days.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:t3:1
# text = A telescope sees a star dim slightly every 3 days.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	telescope	telescope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sees	see	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	star	star	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	dim	dim	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
7	slightly	slightly	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
8	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	10	det	_	_
9	3	3	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | present | a telescope | a star |  |  | day |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer star=Stimulus |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What might be happening?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:t3:2
# text = What might be happening?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	nsubj	_	_
2	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	aux	_	_
4	happening	happen	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **happen** | might · progressive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The star is moving away from us and back again

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:t3:o1:1
# text = The star is moving away from us and back again
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	star	star	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	moving	move	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	away	away	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	back	back	ADV	RB	_	7	conj	_	_
10	again	again	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **move away** | present · progressive | the star |  |  |  | again | from us; away *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme from we=Trajectory |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Clouds on Earth happen to pass over the telescope every 3 days

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:t3:o2:1
# text = Clouds on Earth happen to pass over the telescope every 3 days
1	Clouds	cloud	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	on	on	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
4	happen	happen	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	pass	pass	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
7	over	over	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	telescope	telescope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	12	det	_	_
11	3	3	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	12	nummod	_	_
12	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **happen** | present | Clouds on Earth |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **pass** | to-infinitive | Clouds on Earth *not said here* |  |  | the telescope | day |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme over telescope=Location |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A planet passes in front of it every 3 days

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:t3:o3:1
# text = A planet passes in front of it every 3 days
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	planet	planet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	passes	pass	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nmod	_	_
8	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	10	det	_	_
9	3	3	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass** | present | a planet |  |  | front of front | day |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme in front=Location |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The star switches itself off for a short rest every 3 days

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life:t3:o4:1
# text = The star switches itself off for a short rest every 3 days
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	star	star	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	switches	switch	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	3	obj	_	_
5	off	off	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	rest	rest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
10	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	12	det	_	_
11	3	3	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	12	nummod	_	_
12	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **switch off** | present | the star | star |  |  | day | for a short rest | vn convert-26.6.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent itself=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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