---
title: Ascertain the function of the concrete blocks mounted upon the short… — Diggers, cranes and cement mixers · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the function of the concrete blocks mounted upon the short arm of a tower crane. Exam question 3 of lesson 28 «Diggers, cranes and cement mixers» of the technology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers/e3/)

<!-- 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/) / [Diggers, cranes and cement mixers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers/) / e3

# Exam question 3 · Diggers, cranes and cement mixers

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the function of the concrete blocks mounted upon the short arm of a tower crane.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, mount · **To what, where:** function, concrete blocks, short arm

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 28 «Diggers, cranes and cement mixers» 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/28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the function of the concrete blocks mounted upon the short arm of a tower crane.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	concrete	concrete	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	blocks	block	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
8	mounted	mount	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	_
9	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	arm	arm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	tower	tower	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	crane	crane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 function of the concrete blocks |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic |
| 2 | **mount** | participle |  | the concrete blocks *not said here* |  | the short arm of a tower crane |  |  | vn put-9.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent upon arm=Destination |

<!-- .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 -->
They furnish the crane driver with a place to rest

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers:e3:o1:1
# text = They furnish the crane driver with a place to rest
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	furnish	furnish	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	crane	crane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	driver	driver	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	rest	rest	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **furnish** | present | They |  | the crane driver |  |  | with a place | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP-Fulfilling PP.theme»: agent=Agent driver=Recipient with place=Theme |
| 2 | **rest** | to-infinitive | They *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They render the crane more conspicuous to aircraft

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers:e3:o2:1
# text = They render the crane more conspicuous to aircraft
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	render	render	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	crane	crane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	6	advmod	_	_
6	conspicuous	conspicuous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	aircraft	aircraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | present | They | the crane |  |  |  | conspicuous *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent crane=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They counterbalance the load so that the crane does not overturn

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers:e3:o3:1
# text = They counterbalance the load so that the crane does not overturn
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	counterbalance	counterbalance	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	load	load	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	11	mark	_	_
6	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	5	fixed	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	crane	crane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
9	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	overturn	overturn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **counterbalance** | present | They | the load |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **overturn** | present · do-support | the crane |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are spare materials awaiting use in the construction of the building

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers:e3:o4:1
# text = They are spare materials awaiting use in the construction of the building
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	spare	spare	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	materials	material	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	awaiting	await	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
6	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	construction	construction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	building	building	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | They | spare materials |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **await** | gerund | spare materials *not said here* | use |  | the construction of the building |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **construct** |  |  | the building |  |  |  |  | nom construction «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- 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: [Diggers, cranes and cement mixers, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers/e2/)
- next →: [Diggers, cranes and cement mixers, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Diggers, cranes and cement mixers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/28-diggers-cranes-and-cement-mixers/)