---
title: Mia says scientists can tell the exact day an earthquake will hit. t… — Volcanoes and earthquakes up close · tree and pragmatics
description: Mia says scientists can tell the exact day an earthquake will hit. true? Test 12 · ★ 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.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes/t12/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/) / [Volcanoes and earthquakes up close](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes/) / t12

# Test 12 · ★ · Volcanoes and earthquakes up close

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mia says scientists can tell the exact day an earthquake will hit. true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Mia, scientists, earthquake · **What happens:** say, tell, hit · **To what, where:** exact day · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 12 · ★ of lesson 62 «Volcanoes and earthquakes up close» of the world course of Mova's primary school. 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/#t12).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:t12:1
# text = Mia says scientists can tell the exact day an earthquake will hit. true?
1	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	earthquake	earthquake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	hit	hit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
14	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Mia |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **tell** *speech: assert* | can | scientists |  |  |  | day |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **hit** | future | a earthquake | the exact day *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme day=Co-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 -->
No, scientists cannot measure earthquakes at all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:t12:o1:1
# text = No, scientists cannot measure earthquakes at all
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	measure	measure	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	earthquakes	earthquake	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **measure** | can | scientists | earthquakes |  | all |  |  | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP PP.value»: agent=Agent earthquake=Theme at all=Value |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, seismometers can warn of every single quake at least a week ahead

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:t12:o2:1
# text = Yes, seismometers can warn of every single quake at least a week ahead
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	seismometers	seismometer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	warn	warn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
8	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	quake	quake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	least	least	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	13	nmod	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl:unmarked	_	_
14	ahead	ahead	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **warn** *speech: warn* | can | seismometers |  |  |  | week | of every single quake; ahead *property* | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP PP.topic»: agent=Agent of quake=Topic |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, nobody can yet predict the exact day, so strong buildings matter

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:t12:o3:1
# text = No, nobody can yet predict the exact day, so strong buildings matter
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	predict	predict	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	so	so	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
12	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	buildings	building	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nsubj	_	_
14	matter	matter	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **predict** | can | nobody |  |  |  | yet; day |  | vn indicate-78 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **matter** | present | strong buildings |  |  |  |  |  | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, but only for quakes that happen under the sea

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes:t12:o4:1
# text = Yes, but only for quakes that happen under the sea
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	quakes	quake	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	happen	happen	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	under	under	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **happen** | present | quakes |  |  | the sea |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme under sea=Location |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Volcanoes and earthquakes up close, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes/t11/)
- next →: [Volcanoes and earthquakes up close, test 13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes/t13/)
- ↑ back to [Volcanoes and earthquakes up close](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/62-volcanoes-and-earthquakes/)