---
title: Identify the principal reason for which a vessel constructed of stee… — Ships, ports and submarines · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which a vessel constructed of steel remains afloat, notwithstanding that a steel nail sinks. Exam question 1 of lesson 24 «Ships, ports and submarines» of the technology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of 
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/24-ships-ports-and-submarines/e1/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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/) / [Technology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/) / [Ships, ports and submarines](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/24-ships-ports-and-submarines/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · Ships, ports and submarines

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which a vessel constructed of steel remains afloat, notwithstanding that a steel nail sinks.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, vessel, steel nail · **What happens:** identify, construct, remain, notwithstand, sink · **To what, where:** principal reason, vessel

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 24 «Ships, ports and submarines» of the technology 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/technology/24-ships-ports-and-submarines/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:24-ships-ports-and-submarines:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which a vessel constructed of steel remains afloat, notwithstanding that a steel nail sinks.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
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	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	vessel	vessel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
9	constructed	construct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	steel	steel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
12	remains	remain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl	_	_
13	afloat	afloat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	notwithstanding	notwithstand	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	advcl	_	_
16	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	20	mark	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	steel	steel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	_
19	nail	nail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nsubj	_	_
20	sinks	sink	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **construct** | participle |  | a vessel *not said here* |  |  |  | of steel | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **remain** | present | a vessel |  |  |  |  | for the principal reason; afloat *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **notwithstand** | gerund | a vessel *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **sink** | present | a steel nail |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Steel is rendered lighter upon immersion in sea water

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:24-ships-ports-and-submarines:e1:o1:1
# text = Steel is rendered lighter upon immersion in sea water
1	Steel	steel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	rendered	render	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	lighter	light	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	xcomp	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	immersion	immersion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | present · passive |  | Steel |  |  |  | upon immersion in sea water; light *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The vessel is filled with a gas lighter than air

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:24-ships-ports-and-submarines:e1:o2:1
# text = The vessel is filled with a gas lighter than air
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	vessel	vessel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	filled	fill	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	lighter	light	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	amod	_	_
9	than	than	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fill** | present · passive |  | the vessel |  |  |  | with a gas | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: subject=Patient with gas=Instrument |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its hollow form displaces a volume of water the weight of which equals that of the vessel

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:24-ships-ports-and-submarines:e1:o3:1
# text = Its hollow form displaces a volume of water the weight of which equals that of the vessel
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	hollow	hollow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	displaces	displace	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	volume	volume	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	13	nsubj	_	_
13	equals	equal	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	acl:relcl	_	_
14	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	13	obj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	vessel	vessel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **displace** | present | Its hollow form | a volume of water |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **equal** | present | the weight | the weight |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **form** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom form «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The vessel is supported continually by the motion of the waves

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:24-ships-ports-and-submarines:e1:o4:1
# text = The vessel is supported continually by the motion of the waves
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	vessel	vessel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	supported	support	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	continually	continually	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	motion	motion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	waves	wave	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **support** | present · passive | the motion of the waves | the vessel |  |  |  | continually *property* | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer subject=Stimulus |
| 2 | **motion** |  | the waves |  |  |  |  |  | nom motion «communication intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Ships, ports and submarines, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/24-ships-ports-and-submarines/t11/)
- next →: [Ships, ports and submarines, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/24-ships-ports-and-submarines/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Ships, ports and submarines](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/24-ships-ports-and-submarines/)