---
title: A clock strikes six times in five seconds, the interval between succ… — Sounds right, but is wrong · tree and pragmatics
description: A clock strikes six times in five seconds, the interval between successive strikes being constant. Determine the time required for twelve strikes. Exam question 2 of lesson 183 «Sounds right, but is wrong» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the q
---

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# Exam question 2 · Sounds right, but is wrong

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A clock strikes six times in five seconds, the interval between successive strikes being constant. Determine the time required for twelve strikes.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** clock, interval, you · **What happens:** strike, be, determine, require · **To what, where:** time

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 183 «Sounds right, but is wrong» 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/183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A clock strikes six times in five seconds, the interval between successive strikes being constant.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong:e2:1
# text = A clock strikes six times in five seconds, the interval between successive strikes being constant.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	clock	clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	strikes	strike	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	times	time	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	five	five	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	seconds	second	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	interval	interval	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	_
12	between	between	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	successive	successive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	strikes	strike	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	16	obl	_	_
15	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	16	cop	_	_
16	constant	constant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **strike** | present | a clock |  |  |  | second; time |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | gerund | the interval *not said here* |  |  |  |  | between successive strikes; constant *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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Determine the time required for twelve strikes.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong:e2:2
# text = Determine the time required for twelve strikes.
1	Determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	required	require	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	twelve	twelve	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	7	nummod	_	_
7	strikes	strike	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl:agent	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  | time |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **require** | participle |  | the time *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Six seconds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong:e2:o1:1
# text = Six seconds
1	Six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	seconds	second	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Eleven seconds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong:e2:o2:1
# text = Eleven seconds
1	Eleven	eleven	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	seconds	second	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Twelve seconds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong:e2:o3:1
# text = Twelve seconds
1	Twelve	twelve	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	seconds	second	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ten seconds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong:e2:o4:1
# text = Ten seconds
1	Ten	ten	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	seconds	second	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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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- ← previous: [Sounds right, but is wrong, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong/e1/)
- next →: [Sounds right, but is wrong, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Sounds right, but is wrong](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/183-sounds-right-but-is-wrong/)