Exam question 3 · Reading a dog: tails, play bows, growls and staying safe

It is given that an unfamiliar dog approaches a child at speed in a public park. Ascertain the most appropriate course of action.

Mova's choice: option 4 · The right answer: option 2 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: unfamiliar dog, you · What happens: give, approach, ascertain · To what, where: It, child, speed, appropriate course

This is exam question 3 of lesson 194 «Reading a dog: tails, play bows, growls and staying safe» of the biology 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

Sentence 1: It is given that an unfamiliar dog approaches a child at speed in a public park.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	3 given	nsubj:pass
2	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	3 given	aux:pass
3	given	give	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
4	that	that	SCONJ	_	8 approaches	mark
5	an	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	7 dog	det
6	unfamiliar	unfamiliar	ADJ	Degree=Pos	7 dog	amod
7	dog	dog	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 approaches	nsubj
8	approaches	approach	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	3 given	advcl
9	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	10 child	det
10	child	child	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 approaches	obj
11	at	at	ADP	_	12 speed	case
12	speed	speed	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 approaches	obl
13	in	in	ADP	_	16 park	case
14	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	16 park	det
15	public	public	ADJ	Degree=Pos	16 park	amod
16	park	park	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 approaches	obl
17	.	.	PUNCT	_	3 given	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	give	present · passive		It					vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme
2	approach	present	a unfamiliar dog	a child		speed		in a public park	vn confront-98 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent child=Theme

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.

Sentence 2: Ascertain the most appropriate course of action.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 course	det
3	most	most	ADV	Degree=Sup	4 appropriate	advmod
4	appropriate	appropriate	ADJ	Degree=Pos	5 course	amod
5	course	course	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Ascertain	obj
6	of	of	ADP	_	7 action	case
7	action	action	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 course	nmod
8	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Ascertain	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	ascertain	imperative	you not said here	the appropriate course of action					vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent course=Topic

The options

Option 1

The child should fix the animal with a steady stare

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 child	det
2	child	child	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 fix	nsubj
3	should	should	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	4 fix	aux
4	fix	fix	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 animal	det
6	animal	animal	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 fix	obj
7	with	with	ADP	_	10 stare	case
8	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	10 stare	det
9	steady	steady	ADJ	Degree=Pos	10 stare	amod
10	stare	stare	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 fix	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	fix	should	the child	the animal				with a steady stare	vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent animal=Patient with stare=Co-Patient

Option 2 · ✓ the right answer

The child should remain motionless, arms withdrawn, and avert the gaze

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 child	det
2	child	child	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 remain	nsubj
3	should	should	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	4 remain	aux
4	remain	remain	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
5	motionless	motionless	ADJ	Degree=Pos	4 remain	xcomp
6	,	,	PUNCT	_	7 arms	punct
7	arms	arm	NOUN	Number=Plur	5 motionless	obl
8	withdrawn	withdraw	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	7 arms	acl
9	,	,	PUNCT	_	11 avert	punct
10	and	and	CCONJ	_	11 avert	cc
11	avert	avert	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	4 remain	conj
12	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 gaze	det
13	gaze	gaze	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 avert	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	remain	should	the child		motionless property	vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
2	withdraw	participle		arms not said here		vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
3	avert	infinitive	the child not said here	the gaze		tree rules

Option 3

The child should shout loudly and wave both arms above the head

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 child	det
2	child	child	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 shout	nsubj
3	should	should	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	4 shout	aux
4	shout	shout	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
5	loudly	loudly	ADV	_	4 shout	advmod
6	and	and	CCONJ	_	7 wave	cc
7	wave	wave	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	4 shout	conj
8	both	both	DET	PronType=Tot	9 arms	det
9	arms	arm	NOUN	Number=Plur	7 wave	obj
10	above	above	ADP	_	12 head	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 head	det
12	head	head	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 wave	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	shout speech: express	should	the child					loudly property	vn manner_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent
2	wave	infinitive	the child not said here	both arms		the head			vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent arm=Patient

Option 4 · ← Mova's choice

The child should flee at the greatest possible speed towards the nearest gate

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 child	det
2	child	child	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 flee	nsubj
3	should	should	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	4 flee	aux
4	flee	flee	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
5	at	at	ADP	_	9 speed	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 speed	det
7	greatest	great	ADJ	Degree=Sup	9 speed	amod
8	possible	possible	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 speed	amod
9	speed	speed	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 flee	obl
10	towards	towards	ADP	_	13 gate	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 gate	det
12	nearest	near	ADJ	Degree=Sup	13 gate	amod
13	gate	gate	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 flee	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	flee	should	the child			the greatest possible speed		towards the nearest gate	vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V PP.initial_location»: agent=Theme towards gate=Initial_Location

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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