---
title: Identify the principal error in the inference that a black cat cross… — Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal error in the inference that a black cat crossing the road caused a jar to be dropped later the same day. Exam question 1 of lesson 161 «Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questio
---

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# Exam question 1 · Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal error in the inference that a black cat crossing the road caused a jar to be dropped later the same day.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, black cat · **What happens:** identify, cross, cause, drop · **To what, where:** principal error, inference, road, jar

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 161 «Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions» 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/161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal error in the inference that a black cat crossing the road caused a jar to be dropped later the same day.
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	error	error	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	inference	inference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	black	black	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
12	crossing	cross	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	acl	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	caused	cause	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	jar	jar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
18	to	to	PART	TO	_	20	mark	_	_
19	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	20	aux:pass	_	_
20	dropped	drop	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	15	parataxis	_	_
21	later	late	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	24	advmod	_	_
22	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
23	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	24	amod	_	_
24	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	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 error |  | the inference |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent error=Theme |
| 2 | **cross** | gerund | a black cat *not said here* | the road |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent road=Patient |
| 3 | **cause** | past | a black cat | a jar |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition jar=Patient |
| 4 | **drop** | to-infinitive · passive |  |  |  |  | day |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V» |

<!-- .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 -->
The supposition that glass jars are fragile

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e1:o1:1
# text = The supposition that glass jars are fragile
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	supposition	supposition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
4	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	jars	jar	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	_
6	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	fragile	fragile	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **jar** |  | that |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | the supposition and glass jars |  |  |  |  | fragile *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The failure to ascertain the precise colour of the cat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e1:o2:1
# text = The failure to ascertain the precise colour of the cat
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	precise	precise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | to-infinitive |  | the precise colour of the cat |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colour=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The omission of the day of the week from the account

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e1:o3:1
# text = The omission of the day of the week from the account
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	omission	omission	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **omit** |  |  | the day of the week |  | the account |  |  | nom omission «act transitive»: of=patient from=place |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The assumption that an earlier event necessarily caused a later one

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e1:o4:1
# text = The assumption that an earlier event necessarily caused a later one
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	assumption	assumption	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	earlier	early	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	amod	_	_
6	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	acl	_	_
7	necessarily	necessarily	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	caused	cause	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	later	late	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	11	amod	_	_
11	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cause** | past | the assumption | a later one |  |  |  | necessarily *property* | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition one=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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