---
title: Ascertain the principal cause of the tides of the oceans. — Check the claim, not the person · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal cause of the tides of the oceans. Exam question 2 of lesson 188 «Check the claim, not the person» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Exam question 2 · Check the claim, not the person

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal cause of the tides of the oceans.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, oceans · **What happens:** ascertain, cause, tide · **To what, where:** principal cause, tides

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 188 «Check the claim, not the person» 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/188-check-the-claim-not-the-person/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the principal cause of the tides of the oceans.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	tides	tide	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	oceans	ocean	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal cause of the tides of the oceans |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cause=Topic |
| 2 | **cause** |  |  | the tides of the oceans |  |  |  |  | nom cause «event transitive»: of=patient |
| 3 | **tide** |  | the oceans |  |  |  |  |  | nom tide «event intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- .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 gravitational attraction of the Moon

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:e2:o1:1
# text = The gravitational attraction of the Moon
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	gravitational	gravitational	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	attraction	attraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Moon	Moon	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attract** |  |  | the Moon |  |  |  |  | nom attraction «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The rainfall upon the oceans

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:e2:o2:1
# text = The rainfall upon the oceans
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rainfall	rainfall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	oceans	ocean	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The passage of large vessels

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:e2:o3:1
# text = The passage of large vessels
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	vessels	vessel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass** |  | large vessels |  |  |  |  |  | nom passage «act intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prevailing winds over the oceans of the world

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:e2:o4:1
# text = The prevailing winds over the oceans of the world
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	prevailing	prevail	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	amod	_	_
3	winds	wind	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	over	over	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	oceans	ocean	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	world	world	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prevail** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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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