---
title: Ascertain the cause by which a tsunami is most usually occasioned. — Volcanoes and earthquakes up close · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the cause by which a tsunami is most usually occasioned. Exam question 4 of lesson 62 «Volcanoes and earthquakes up close» 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 wrong.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Volcanoes and earthquakes up close

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the cause by which a tsunami is most usually occasioned.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, cause · **What happens:** ascertain, occasion · **To what, where:** cause, tsunami

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 62 «Volcanoes and earthquakes up close» 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/62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the cause by which a tsunami is most usually occasioned.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	tsunami	tsunami	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
9	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	11	advmod	_	_
10	usually	usually	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	occasioned	occasion	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	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 cause |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cause=Topic |
| 2 | **occasion** | present · passive | the cause | a tsunami |  |  |  | usually *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 -->
The pull of the Moon upon the tides

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:e4:o1:1
# text = The pull of the Moon upon the tides
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pull	pull	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Moon	Moon	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	tides	tide	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Heavy rainfall upon the coast

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:e4:o2:1
# text = Heavy rainfall upon the coast
1	Heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
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	coast	coast	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A strong wind over the ocean

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:e4:o3:1
# text = A strong wind over the ocean
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	over	over	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	ocean	ocean	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

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

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An earthquake beneath the sea

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:e4:o4:1
# text = An earthquake beneath the sea
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	earthquake	earthquake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .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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