Exam question 1 · When work goes wrong

Which of the following most accurately characterises the distinction between redundancy and dismissal?

Mova's choice: option 2 · The right answer: option 4 · wrong ✗ · What happens: follow, characteris · To what, where: distinction

This is exam question 1 of lesson 4 «When work goes wrong» of the adult life 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.

The question

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	7 characterises	nsubj
2	of	of	SCONJ	_	7 characterises	mark
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 characterises	det
4	following	follow	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	7 characterises	csubj
5	most	most	ADV	Degree=Sup	6 accurately	advmod
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	_	7 characterises	advmod
7	characterises	characteris	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 distinction	det
9	distinction	distinction	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 characterises	obj
10	between	between	ADP	_	11 redundancy	case
11	redundancy	redundancy	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 distinction	nmod
12	and	and	CCONJ	_	13 dismissal	cc
13	dismissal	dismissal	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 redundancy	conj
14	?	?	PUNCT	_	7 characterises	punct

#	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		the distinction				between redundancy and dismissal; accurately property	tree rules

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

Option 1

Both terms denote a promotion to a senior position

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Both	both	DET	PronType=Tot	2 terms	det
2	terms	term	NOUN	Number=Plur	3 denote	nsubj
3	denote	denote	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
4	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	5 promotion	det
5	promotion	promotion	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 denote	obj
6	to	to	ADP	_	9 position	case
7	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	9 position	det
8	senior	senior	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 position	amod
9	position	position	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 denote	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	denote	present	both terms	a promotion				to a senior position	vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot promotion=Theme to position=Attribute

Option 2 · ← Mova's choice

Redundancy and dismissal are synonymous terms for voluntary resignation

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Redundancy	redundancy	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 terms	nsubj
2	and	and	CCONJ	_	3 dismissal	cc
3	dismissal	dismissal	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Redundancy	conj
4	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	6 terms	cop
5	synonymous	synonymous	ADJ	Degree=Pos	6 terms	amod
6	terms	term	NOUN	Number=Plur	root	root
7	for	for	ADP	_	9 resignation	case
8	voluntary	voluntary	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 resignation	amod
9	resignation	resignation	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 terms	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	is a	present	Redundancy and dismissal	synonymous terms				for voluntary resignation	tree rules

Option 3

Dismissal concerns the abolition of the post; redundancy concerns the conduct of the employee concerned

The tree, 15 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Dismissal	dismissal	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 concerns	nsubj
2	concerns	concern	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 abolition	det
4	abolition	abolition	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 concerns	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	7 post	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 post	det
7	post	post	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 abolition	nmod
8	;	;	PUNCT	_	10 concerns	punct
9	redundancy	redundancy	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 concerns	nsubj
10	concerns	concern	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	2 concerns	conj
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 conduct	det
12	conduct	conduct	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 concerns	obj
13	of	of	ADP	_	15 employee	case
14	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	15 employee	det
15	employee	employee	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 conduct	nmod
16	concerned	concerned	ADJ	Degree=Pos	10 concerns	advcl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	roles by
1	concern	present	Dismissal	the abolition of the post	vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus abolition=Experiencer
2	concern	present	redundancy	the conduct of the employee	vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus conduct=Experiencer
3	abolish			the post	nom abolition «act transitive»: of=patient
4	conduct			the employee	nom conduct «act transitive»: of=patient

Option 4 · ✓ the right answer

Redundancy concerns the abolition of the post; dismissal concerns the conduct of the employee

The tree, 14 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Redundancy	redundancy	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 concerns	nsubj
2	concerns	concern	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 abolition	det
4	abolition	abolition	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 concerns	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	7 post	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 post	det
7	post	post	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 abolition	nmod
8	;	;	PUNCT	_	10 concerns	punct
9	dismissal	dismissal	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 concerns	nsubj
10	concerns	concern	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	2 concerns	conj
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 conduct	det
12	conduct	conduct	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 concerns	obj
13	of	of	ADP	_	15 employee	case
14	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	15 employee	det
15	employee	employee	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 conduct	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	roles by
1	concern	present	Redundancy	the abolition of the post	vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus abolition=Experiencer
2	concern	present	dismissal	the conduct of the employee	vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus conduct=Experiencer
3	abolish			the post	nom abolition «act transitive»: of=patient
4	conduct			the employee	nom conduct «act transitive»: of=patient

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.

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/4-when-work-goes-wrong/e1/