---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises an a… — "If... then..." and its traps · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises an argument whose every step is correct but whose initial rule is false? Exam question 4 of lesson 184 «"If... then..." and its traps» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question
---

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# Exam question 4 · "If... then..." and its traps

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises an argument whose every step is correct but whose initial rule is false?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** step, initial rule · **What happens:** follow, characteris, be · **To what, where:** argument

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 184 «"If... then..." and its traps» 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/184-if-then-and-its-traps/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:184-if-then-and-its-traps:e4:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises an argument whose every step is correct but whose initial rule is false?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	whose	whose	PRON	WP$	Poss=Yes|PronType=Rel	13	nmod:poss	_	_
12	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	13	det	_	_
13	step	step	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
15	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	acl:relcl	_	_
16	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	21	cc	_	_
17	whose	whose	PRON	WP$	Poss=Yes|PronType=Rel	19	nmod:poss	_	_
18	initial	initial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nsubj	_	_
20	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	cop	_	_
21	false	false	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	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 argument |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | present | every step |  |  |  |  | correct *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **is** | present | initial rule |  |  |  |  | false *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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It cannot contain any correct step whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:184-if-then-and-its-traps:e4:o1:1
# text = It cannot contain any correct step whatsoever
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	contain	contain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	7	det	_	_
6	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	step	step	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **contain** | can | It | any correct step |  |  |  | whatsoever *property* | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot step=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its conclusion may nonetheless be false

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:184-if-then-and-its-traps:e4:o2:1
# text = Its conclusion may nonetheless be false
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	conclusion	conclusion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	nonetheless	nonetheless	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	cop	_	_
6	false	false	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | may | Its conclusion |  |  |  |  | false, nonetheless *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **conclude** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom conclusion «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its conclusion is necessarily and always true

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:184-if-then-and-its-traps:e4:o3:1
# text = Its conclusion is necessarily and always true
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	conclusion	conclusion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	necessarily	necessarily	ADV	RB	_	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
7	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Its conclusion |  |  |  |  | necessarily *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | Its conclusion *not said here* |  |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **conclude** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom conclusion «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its conclusion is necessarily false in every case

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:184-if-then-and-its-traps:e4:o4:1
# text = Its conclusion is necessarily false in every case
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	conclusion	conclusion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	necessarily	necessarily	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	false	false	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	case	case	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Its conclusion |  |  | every case |  | false, necessarily *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **conclude** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom conclusion «cognition transitive»: poss=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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: ["If... then..." and its traps, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/184-if-then-and-its-traps/e3/)
- next →: [Some, all, none and "not all", test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/185-some-all-none-and-not-all/t1/)
- ↑ back to ["If... then..." and its traps](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/184-if-then-and-its-traps/)