---
title: Identify the principal misconception in the expectation that one hun… — Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal misconception in the expectation that one hundred boxes, each offering a one-in-one-hundred chance, must yield one prize. Exam question 1 of lesson 172 «Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics
---

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# Exam question 1 · Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal misconception in the expectation that one hundred boxes, each offering a one-in-one-hundred chance, must yield one prize.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, hundred boxes · **What happens:** identify, offer, yield · **To what, where:** principal misconception, expectation, one one chance, one prize

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 172 «Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost» 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/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal misconception in the expectation that one hundred boxes, each offering a one-in-one-hundred chance, must yield one prize.
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	misconception	misconception	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	expectation	expectation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
9	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	compound	_	_
10	hundred	hundred	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	11	nummod	_	_
11	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	14	nsubj	_	_
14	offering	offer	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	26	advcl	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
16	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	23	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	23	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	22	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	hundred	hundred	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	20	conj	_	_
23	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
25	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	26	aux	_	_
26	yield	yield	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
27	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	28	nummod	_	_
28	prize	prize	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	26	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	.	.	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 misconception |  | the expectation |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent misconception=Theme |
| 2 | **offer** | gerund | hundred boxes | a one one chance |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent chance=Theme |
| 3 | **yield** | must |  | one prize |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent prize=Theme |

<!-- .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 boxes were opened at the wrong hour

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:e1:o1:1
# text = The boxes were opened at the wrong hour
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	opened	open	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	hour	hour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **open** | past · passive |  | the boxes |  |  | hour |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prize was incorrectly described

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:e1:o2:1
# text = The prize was incorrectly described
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prize	prize	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	incorrectly	incorrectly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	described	describe	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 | **describe** | past · passive |  | the prize |  |  |  | incorrectly *property* | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The number of boxes was insufficiently large

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:e1:o3:1
# text = The number of boxes was insufficiently large
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	insufficiently	insufficiently	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the number of boxes |  |  |  |  | insufficiently, large *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A probability is mistaken for a guarantee

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:e1:o4:1
# text = A probability is mistaken for a guarantee
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	probability	probability	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	mistaken	mistake	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	guarantee	guarantee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mistake** | present · passive |  | a probability |  |  |  | for a guarantee | tree rules |

<!-- 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: [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/t11/)
- next →: [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/)

