---
title: Which of the following most accurately characterises a belief that i… — Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following most accurately characterises a belief that is maintained by supplying a fresh excuse upon each failure? Exam question 4 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 4 · Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following most accurately characterises a belief that is maintained by supplying a fresh excuse upon each failure?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris, maintain, supply · **To what, where:** belief, fresh excuse

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e4:1
# text = Which of the following most accurately characterises a belief that is maintained by supplying a fresh excuse upon each failure?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	csubj	_	_
5	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	6	advmod	_	_
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	belief	belief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	maintained	maintain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	acl:relcl	_	_
13	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
14	supplying	supply	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	advcl	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	fresh	fresh	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	excuse	excuse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
18	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	20	det	_	_
20	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | a belief |  |  |  | accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **maintain** | present · passive |  | a belief |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Theme |
| 4 | **supply** | gerund |  | a fresh excuse |  |  |  | upon each failure | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent excuse=Recipient |

<!-- .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 -->
It is confirmed afresh by each failure

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e4:o1:1
# text = It is confirmed afresh by each failure
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	confirmed	confirm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	afresh	afresh	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **confirm** | present · passive | each failure | It |  |  |  | afresh *property* | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot subject=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It becomes steadily more probable with the passage of time and further failures

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e4:o2:1
# text = It becomes steadily more probable with the passage of time and further failures
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	becomes	become	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	steadily	steadily	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
5	probable	probable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
12	further	further	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	failures	failure	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **become** | present | It |  |  |  |  | probable *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **pass** |  | time |  |  |  |  |  | nom passage «act intransitive»: of=agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It cannot be shown to be wrong and is therefore uninformative

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e4:o3:1
# text = It cannot be shown to be wrong and is therefore uninformative
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	shown	show	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	therefore	therefore	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	uninformative	uninformative	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **show** | can · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |
| 2 | **is** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | wrong *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | therefore, uninformative *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is proven by the number of excuses offered

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions:e4:o4:1
# text = It is proven by the number of excuses offered
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	proven	prove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	excuses	excuse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
9	offered	offer	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prove** | present · passive | the number of excuses | It |  |  |  |  | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **offer** | participle |  | excuses *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=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.

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- ← previous: [Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions/e3/)
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- ↑ back to [Lucky socks and Grandma's superstitions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/161-lucky-socks-and-grandmas-superstitions/)