---
title: Explain why stars observed from the International Space Station do n… — Olympiad: stars, light and space histo… · tree and pragmatics
description: Explain why stars observed from the International Space Station do not twinkle. Exam question 4 of lesson 32 «Olympiad: stars, light and space history ★★★» 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 righ
---

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# Exam question 4 · Olympiad: stars, light and space history ★★★

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Explain why stars observed from the International Space Station do not twinkle.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, stars · **What happens:** explain, observe, not twinkle · **To what, where:** International Space Station · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 32 «Olympiad: stars, light and space history ★★★» 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/32-olympiad-stars-light-and-space-history/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:32-olympiad-stars-light-and-space-history:e4:1
# text = Explain why stars observed from the International Space Station do not twinkle.
1	Explain	explain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
3	stars	star	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	observed	observe	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	advcl	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	International	International	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
8	Space	Space	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	Station	Station	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
10	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	twinkle	twinkle	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **observe** | past | stars |  |  | the International Space Station |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **not** **twinkle** | present · do-support |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V»: agent=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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The station spins too fast for twinkling

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:32-olympiad-stars-light-and-space-history:e4:o1:1
# text = The station spins too fast for twinkling
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	spins	spin	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	too	too	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	fast	fast	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	3	advmod	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	twinkling	twinkling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spin** | present | the station |  |  |  |  | for twinkling; fast *property* | vn create-26.4-1-1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent for twinkling=Beneficiary |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Their light does not pass through moving air

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:32-olympiad-stars-light-and-space-history:e4:o2:1
# text = Their light does not pass through moving air
1	Their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	pass	pass	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	moving	move	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	amod	_	_
8	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **pass** | present · do-support | Their light |  |  | moving air |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme through air=Location |
| 2 | **move** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **light** |  | Their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom light «phenomenon transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The station's windows filter starlight

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:32-olympiad-stars-light-and-space-history:e4:o3:1
# text = The station's windows filter starlight
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	windows	window	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	filter	filter	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	starlight	starlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **filter** | present | the station's windows | starlight |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_instr-10.4.2 «NP V NP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent starlight=Initial\_Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The stars are much nearer to the station

```conllu
# sent_id = question:space:32-olympiad-stars-light-and-space-history:e4:o4:1
# text = The stars are much nearer to the station
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	stars	star	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	much	much	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	nearer	near	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	station	station	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the stars |  |  |  |  | to the station; near *property* | tree rules |

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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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