Exam question 4 · Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 3: «the A…

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the real historical origin of the alphabet?

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 3 · wrong ✗ · What happens: follow, characteris · To what, where: real historical origin

This is exam question 4 of lesson 89 «Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 3: «the Alphabet, all complete», and how letters really began» of the books 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	12 origin	det
10	real	real	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 origin	amod
11	historical	historical	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 origin	amod
12	origin	origin	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 characterises	obj
13	of	of	ADP	_	15 alphabet	case
14	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	15 alphabet	det
15	alphabet	alphabet	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 origin	nmod
16	?	?	PUNCT	_	8 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 real historical origin of the alphabet				of the following statements; 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 · ← Mova's choice

It was invented in a single afternoon

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 invented	nsubj:pass
2	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	3 invented	aux:pass
3	invented	invent	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
4	in	in	ADP	_	7 afternoon	case
5	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	7 afternoon	det
6	single	single	ADJ	Degree=Pos	7 afternoon	amod
7	afternoon	afternoon	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 invented	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	invent	past · passive		It			afternoon		vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Result

Option 2

It was invented by one Egyptian scribe in a single lifetime, the Romans adding numbers

The tree, 15 words

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 invented	nsubj:pass
2	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	3 invented	aux:pass
3	invented	invent	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
4	by	by	ADP	_	7 scribe	case
5	one	one	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	7 scribe	nummod
6	Egyptian	Egyptian	ADJ	Degree=Pos	7 scribe	amod
7	scribe	scribe	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 invented	obl
8	in	in	ADP	_	11 lifetime	case
9	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	11 lifetime	det
10	single	single	ADJ	Degree=Pos	11 lifetime	amod
11	lifetime	lifetime	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 invented	obl
12	,	,	PUNCT	_	14 Romans	punct
13	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	14 Romans	det
14	Romans	Roman	PROPN	Number=Plur	3 invented	obl:agent
15	adding	add	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	14 Romans	acl
16	numbers	number	NOUN	Number=Plur	15 adding	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	invent	past · passive	the Romans	It		a single lifetime		by one Egyptian scribe	vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Result
2	add speech: assert	gerund	the Romans not said here	numbers					vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent number=Patient

Option 3 · ✓ the right answer

It developed over some two thousand years among several peoples, the Greeks adding vowels

The tree, 14 words

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	2 developed	nsubj
2	developed	develop	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	over	over	ADP	_	7 years	case
4	some	some	DET	PronType=Ind	7 years	det
5	two	two	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	6 thousand	compound
6	thousand	thousand	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	7 years	nummod
7	years	year	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 developed	obl
8	among	among	ADP	_	10 peoples	case
9	several	several	ADJ	Degree=Pos	10 peoples	amod
10	peoples	people	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 developed	obl
11	,	,	PUNCT	_	13 Greeks	punct
12	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 Greeks	det
13	Greeks	Greek	PROPN	Number=Plur	2 developed	obl
14	adding	add	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	13 Greeks	acl
15	vowels	vowel	NOUN	Number=Plur	14 adding	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	develop	past	It	the Greeks			year	among several peoples	vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme among people=Location
2	add speech: assert	gerund	the Greeks not said here	vowels					vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vowel=Patient

Option 4

It grew over some five hundred years in one city, the Greeks dropping vowels

The tree, 14 words

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	2 grew	nsubj
2	grew	grow	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	over	over	ADP	_	7 years	case
4	some	some	DET	PronType=Ind	7 years	det
5	five	five	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	6 hundred	compound
6	hundred	hundred	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	7 years	nummod
7	years	year	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 grew	obl
8	in	in	ADP	_	10 city	case
9	one	one	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	10 city	nummod
10	city	city	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 grew	obl
11	,	,	PUNCT	_	14 dropping	punct
12	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 Greeks	det
13	Greeks	Greek	PROPN	Number=Plur	14 dropping	nsubj
14	dropping	drop	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	2 grew	advcl
15	vowels	vowel	NOUN	Number=Plur	14 dropping	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	grow	past	It			one city	year		vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in city=Location
2	drop	gerund	the Greeks	vowels					vn put_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vowel=Theme

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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