---
title: Identify one proposed explanation for the perception that years pass… — Why time flies and why it drags · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify one proposed explanation for the perception that years pass more swiftly with advancing age. Exam question 4 of lesson 110 «Why time flies and why it drags» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choic
---

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# Exam question 4 · Why time flies and why it drags

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify one proposed explanation for the perception that years pass more swiftly with advancing age.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, years · **What happens:** identify, propose, pass, advance · **To what, where:** one proposed explanation, perception, age

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 110 «Why time flies and why it drags» of the world 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/world/110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags:e4:1
# text = Identify one proposed explanation for the perception that years pass more swiftly with advancing age.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
3	proposed	propose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
4	explanation	explanation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	perception	perception	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obj	_	_
9	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	pass	pass	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
11	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	12	advmod	_	_
12	swiftly	swiftly	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
13	with	with	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
14	advancing	advance	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	advcl	_	_
15	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | one proposed explanation |  |  |  | for the perception | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent explanation=Theme |
| 2 | **propose** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **pass** | present | years | the perception |  |  |  | swiftly *property* | vn escape-51.1-1-3 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme that=Trajectory |
| 4 | **advance** | gerund | years *not said here* | age |  |  |  |  | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Causer age=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each year constitutes a smaller fraction of the life already lived

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags:e4:o1:1
# text = Each year constitutes a smaller fraction of the life already lived
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	constitutes	constitute	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	smaller	small	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	amod	_	_
6	fraction	fraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	already	already	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	lived	live	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **constitute** | present | each year |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **live** | past | a smaller fraction of the life |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The calendar removes days for persons over seventy

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags:e4:o2:1
# text = The calendar removes days for persons over seventy
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	calendar	calendar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	removes	remove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
7	over	over	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	seventy	seventy	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present | the calendar |  |  |  | day | for persons | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The clocks of older persons operate more rapidly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags:e4:o3:1
# text = The clocks of older persons operate more rapidly
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	clocks	clock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	amod	_	_
5	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	operate	operate	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	8	advmod	_	_
8	rapidly	rapidly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **operate** | present | the clocks of older persons |  |  |  |  | rapidly *property* | vn function-105.2.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Earth's orbit grows shorter with each decade

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags:e4:o4:1
# text = The Earth's orbit grows shorter with each decade
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	orbit	orbit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	grows	grow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	shorter	short	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	xcomp	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	decade	decade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grow** | present | the Earth's orbit |  |  |  | decade | short *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ← previous: [Why time flies and why it drags, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags/e3/)
- next →: [Days, weeks and months, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/111-days-weeks-and-months/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Why time flies and why it drags](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/110-why-time-flies-and-why-it-drags/)