Exam question 2 · Skin: layers, sweat, goosebumps, freckles and sunburn

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the mechanism whereby perspiration lowers body temperature?

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 4 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: perspiration · What happens: follow, characteris, lower · To what, where: mechanism, body temperature

This is exam question 2 of lesson 353 «Skin: layers, sweat, goosebumps, freckles and sunburn» 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

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	8 characterises	nsubj
2	of	of	ADP	_	5 statements	case
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 statements	det
4	following	follow	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	5 statements	amod
5	statements	statement	NOUN	Number=Plur	8 characterises	obl
6	most	most	ADV	Degree=Sup	7 accurately	advmod
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	_	8 characterises	advmod
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
9	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	10 mechanism	det
10	mechanism	mechanism	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 characterises	obj
11	whereby	whereby	ADV	PronType=Int	13 lowers	advmod
12	perspiration	perspiration	NOUN	Number=Sing	13 lowers	nsubj
13	lowers	lower	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	8 characterises	advcl
14	body	body	NOUN	Number=Sing	15 temperature	compound
15	temperature	temperature	NOUN	Number=Sing	13 lowers	obj
16	?	?	PUNCT	_	8 characterises	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	follow	gerund				vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
2	characteris	present		the mechanism	of the following statements; accurately property	tree rules
3	lower	present	perspiration	body temperature	whereby property	vn put_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent temperature=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.

The options

Option 1 · ← Mova's choice

Sweat diminishes the rate of circulation of the blood

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Sweat	sweat	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 diminishes	nsubj
2	diminishes	diminish	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 rate	det
4	rate	rate	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 diminishes	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	6 circulation	case
6	circulation	circulation	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 rate	nmod
7	of	of	ADP	_	9 blood	case
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 blood	det
9	blood	blood	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 circulation	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	diminish	present	Sweat	the rate of circulation of the blood					vn caused_calibratable_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Causer rate=Patient
2	circulate			the blood					nom circulation «communication transitive»: of=patient

Option 2

Sweat is secreted at a temperature below that of the air

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Sweat	sweat	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 secreted	nsubj:pass
2	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	3 secreted	aux:pass
3	secreted	secrete	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
4	at	at	ADP	_	6 temperature	case
5	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	6 temperature	det
6	temperature	temperature	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 secreted	obl
7	below	below	ADP	_	8 that	case
8	that	that	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Dem	6 temperature	nmod
9	of	of	ADP	_	11 air	case
10	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	11 air	det
11	air	air	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 that	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	secrete	present · passive		Sweat		a temperature below that			tree rules

Option 3

Sweat obstructs the radiation of the sun

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Sweat	sweat	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 obstructs	nsubj
2	obstructs	obstruct	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 radiation	det
4	radiation	radiation	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 obstructs	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	7 sun	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 sun	det
7	sun	sun	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 radiation	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	obstruct	present	Sweat	the radiation of the sun					vn discourage-64.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer radiation=Eventuality
2	radiate			the sun					nom radiation «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient

Option 4 · ✓ the right answer

Heat is withdrawn from the skin in the course of the evaporation of sweat

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Heat	heat	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 withdrawn	nsubj:pass
2	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	3 withdrawn	aux:pass
3	withdrawn	withdraw	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
4	from	from	ADP	_	6 skin	case
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 skin	det
6	skin	skin	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 withdrawn	obl
7	in	in	ADP	_	9 course	case
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 course	det
9	course	course	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 withdrawn	obl
10	of	of	ADP	_	12 evaporation	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 evaporation	det
12	evaporation	evaporation	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 course	nmod
13	of	of	ADP	_	14 sweat	case
14	sweat	sweat	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 evaporation	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	withdraw	present · passive		Heat		the skin		in the course of the evaporation of sweat	vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP PP»: subject=Theme from skin=Initial_Location
2	evaporate			sweat					nom evaporation «process 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.

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