Exam question 4 · Author's choices: why this word, why this way

Ascertain the most probable purpose of the repetition «closer… closer… closer» in a narrative.

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 2 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: you, repetition · What happens: ascertain, purpose · To what, where: probable purpose

This is exam question 4 of lesson 21 «Author's choices: why this word, why this way» of the English 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	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 purpose	det
3	most	most	ADV	Degree=Sup	4 probable	advmod
4	probable	probable	ADJ	Degree=Pos	5 purpose	amod
5	purpose	purpose	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Ascertain	obj
6	of	of	ADP	_	8 repetition	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 repetition	det
8	repetition	repetition	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 purpose	nmod
9	«	«	PUNCT	_	10 closer	punct
10	closer	close	ADV	Degree=Cmp	1 Ascertain	advmod
11	…	…	PUNCT	_	12 closer	punct
12	closer	close	ADV	Degree=Cmp	1 Ascertain	advmod
13	…	…	PUNCT	_	14 closer	punct
14	closer	close	ADV	Degree=Cmp	1 Ascertain	advmod
15	»	»	PUNCT	_	14 closer	punct
16	in	in	ADP	_	18 narrative	case
17	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	18 narrative	det
18	narrative	narrative	NOUN	Number=Sing	14 closer	obl
19	.	.	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 probable purpose of the repetition				close property	vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent purpose=Topic
2	purpose		the repetition						nom purpose «cognition intransitive»: of=agent

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

The correction of a printing error

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 correction	det
2	correction	correction	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	6 error	case
4	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	6 error	det
5	printing	printing	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 error	compound
6	error	error	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 correction	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	correct			a printing error					nom correction «act transitive»: of=patient

Option 2 · ✓ the right answer

The creation of suspense as danger approaches

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 creation	det
2	creation	creation	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	4 suspense	case
4	suspense	suspense	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 creation	nmod
5	as	as	ADP	_	7 approaches	case
6	danger	danger	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 approaches	compound
7	approaches	approach	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 creation	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	create			suspense				as danger approaches	nom creation «act transitive»: of=patient as=obl

Option 3

The extension of the narrative to the length required by the publisher of the work

The tree, 15 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 extension	det
2	extension	extension	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	5 narrative	case
4	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 narrative	det
5	narrative	narrative	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 extension	nmod
6	to	to	ADP	_	8 length	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 length	det
8	length	length	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 narrative	nmod
9	required	require	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	8 length	acl
10	by	by	ADP	_	12 publisher	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 publisher	det
12	publisher	publisher	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 required	obl
13	of	of	ADP	_	15 work	case
14	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	15 work	det
15	work	work	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 publisher	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	require	participle		the length not said here				by the publisher of the work	vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S_INF»: agent=Theme

Option 4

The instruction of counting

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 instruction	det
2	instruction	instruction	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	4 counting	case
4	counting	counting	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 instruction	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	instruct			counting					nom instruction «communication 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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