---
title: Identify the principal defect in the argument that a player is super… — The football argument that goes in cir… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal defect in the argument that a player is superior "because he is the best". Exam question 1 of lesson 170 «The football argument that goes in circles» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova'
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles/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/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/) / [The football argument that goes in cir…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · The football argument that goes in circles

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal defect in the argument that a player is superior "because he is the best".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, player, he · **What happens:** identify, be · **To what, where:** principal defect, argument

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 170 «The football argument that goes in circles» 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/170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal defect in the argument that a player is superior "because he is the best".
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	defect	defect	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	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	player	player	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	superior	superior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	advcl	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	18	mark	_	_
15	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	18	nsubj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	1	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 defect |  | the argument |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP to be ADJ»: agent=Agent defect=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 2 | **is** | present | a player |  |  |  |  | superior *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | he |  |  |  |  | good *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
The conclusion is restated in place of a reason

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles:e1:o1:1
# text = The conclusion is restated in place of a reason
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	conclusion	conclusion	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	restated	restate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **restate** | present · passive |  | the conclusion |  | place of a reason |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The argument relies too heavily upon statistics such as goals and trophies

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles:e1:o2:1
# text = The argument relies too heavily upon statistics such as goals and trophies
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	relies	rely	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	too	too	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	heavily	heavily	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	statistics	statistic	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
8	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	10	case	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	fixed	_	_
10	goals	goal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	trophies	trophy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rely** | present | the argument |  |  |  |  | upon statistics such goals and trophies; heavily *property* | vn rely-70 «NP V PP.theme S\_ING»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The player's nationality is omitted

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles:e1:o3:1
# text = The player's nationality is omitted
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	player	player	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	nationality	nationality	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	omitted	omit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **omit** | present · passive |  | the player's nationality |  |  |  |  | vn exclude-107.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The argument was made during a break

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles:e1:o4:1
# text = The argument was made during a break
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	during	during	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	break	break	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past · passive |  | the argument |  |  | during a break |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |

<!-- 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: [The football argument that goes in cir…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles/t11/)
- next →: [The football argument that goes in cir…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles/e2/)
- ↑ back to [The football argument that goes in circles](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/170-the-football-argument-that-goes-in-circles/)