---
title: Ascertain the principal objection to the remark "Prove it, jump off… — Saying "I was wrong" and laughing with… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal objection to the remark "Prove it, jump off the roof" when addressed to a person who doubts gravity. Exam question 4 of lesson 190 «Saying "I was wrong" and laughing without being cruel» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of 
---

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# Exam question 4 · Saying "I was wrong" and laughing without being cruel

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal objection to the remark "Prove it, jump off the roof" when addressed to a person who doubts gravity.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, person · **What happens:** ascertain, prove, jump off, address, doubt · **To what, where:** principal objection, objection, roof, gravity

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 190 «Saying "I was wrong" and laughing without being cruel» 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/190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the principal objection to the remark "Prove it, jump off the roof" when addressed to a person who doubts gravity.
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	objection	objection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	Prove	prove	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	jump	jump	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	9	conj	_	_
13	off	off	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	roof	roof	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	_
17	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	18	advmod	_	_
18	addressed	address	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	advcl	_	_
19	to	to	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
22	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	23	nsubj	_	_
23	doubts	doubt	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	acl:relcl	_	_
24	gravity	gravity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	23	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	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 objection |  |  |  | to the remark | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent objection=Topic |
| 2 | **prove** *in a quote* | infinitive | you *not said here* | objection |  |  |  |  | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 3 | **jump off** *in a quote* | infinitive | you *not said here* | the roof |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme roof=Trajectory |
| 4 | **address** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to a person | vn illustrate-25.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **doubt** | present | a person | gravity |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gravity=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 -->
It is insufficiently amusing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel:e4:o1:1
# text = It is insufficiently amusing
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	insufficiently	insufficiently	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	amusing	amusing	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | amusing, insufficiently *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It concerns gravity rather than the roof

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel:e4:o2:1
# text = It concerns gravity rather than the roof
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	concerns	concern	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	gravity	gravity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	rather	rather	ADV	RB	ExtPos=CCONJ	7	cc	_	_
5	than	than	ADP	IN	_	4	fixed	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	roof	roof	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **concern** | present | It | gravity |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus gravity=Experiencer |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It invites conduct that may result in serious injury

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel:e4:o3:1
# text = It invites conduct that may result in serious injury
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	invites	invite	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
5	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	result	result	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **invite** | present | It | conduct |  |  |  |  | vn urge-58.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent conduct=Recipient |
| 2 | **result** | may | conduct |  |  | serious injury |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in injury=Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It fails to mention the speed of falling

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel:e4:o4:1
# text = It fails to mention the speed of falling
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	fails	fail	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	mention	mention	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	speed	speed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	falling	fall	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fail** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **not** **mention** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  | the speed |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent speed=Topic |
| 3 | **fall** | gerund | the speed *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «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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- ← previous: [Saying "I was wrong" and laughing with…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel/e3/)
- next →: [A fair trial, and the Wonderland court…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Saying "I was wrong" and laughing without being cruel](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/190-saying-i-was-wrong-and-laughing-without-being-cruel/)