Exam question 2 · Reading non-fiction: recount, instructions, report

Identify the principal function of the numbering of steps in a set of instructions.

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 3 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: you · What happens: identify, number · To what, where: principal function, steps

This is exam question 2 of lesson 23 «Reading non-fiction: recount, instructions, report» 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	Identify	identify	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 function	det
3	principal	principal	ADJ	Degree=Pos	4 function	amod
4	function	function	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Identify	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	7 numbering	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 numbering	det
7	numbering	numbering	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 function	nmod
8	of	of	ADP	_	9 steps	case
9	steps	step	NOUN	Number=Plur	7 numbering	nmod
10	in	in	ADP	_	12 set	case
11	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	12 set	det
12	set	set	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 steps	nmod
13	of	of	ADP	_	14 instructions	case
14	instructions	instruction	NOUN	Number=Plur	12 set	nmod
15	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Identify	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	identify	imperative	you not said here	the principal function of the numbering of steps in a set of instructions					vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S_ING»: agent=Agent function=Theme
2	number			steps in a set of instructions					nom numbering «communication transitive»: of=patient

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

To decorate the page

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	2 decorate	mark
2	decorate	decorate	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 page	det
4	page	page	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 decorate	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	decorate	to-infinitive		the page					vn illustrate-25.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent page=Destination

Option 2

To enumerate the ingredients required for the recipe in order of their weight

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	2 enumerate	mark
2	enumerate	enumerate	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 ingredients	det
4	ingredients	ingredient	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 enumerate	obj
5	required	require	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	4 ingredients	acl
6	for	for	ADP	_	8 recipe	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 recipe	det
8	recipe	recipe	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 required	obl
9	in	in	ADP	_	10 order	case
10	order	order	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 enumerate	obl
11	of	of	ADP	_	13 weight	case
12	their	their	PRON	Case=Gen Number=Plur Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs	13 weight	nmod:poss
13	weight	weight	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 order	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	what, whom	where	other	roles by
1	enumerate	to-infinitive	the ingredients	order of ingredients's weight		tree rules
2	require	participle	the ingredients not said here		for the recipe	vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S_INF»: agent=Theme
3	order		ingredients's weight			nom order «communication transitive»: of=patient

Option 3 · ✓ the right answer

To ensure that the steps are performed in the correct sequence

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	2 ensure	mark
2	ensure	ensure	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	that	that	SCONJ	_	7 performed	mark
4	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 steps	det
5	steps	step	NOUN	Number=Plur	7 performed	nsubj:pass
6	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	7 performed	aux:pass
7	performed	perform	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	2 ensure	ccomp
8	in	in	ADP	_	11 sequence	case
9	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	11 sequence	det
10	correct	correct	ADJ	Degree=Pos	11 sequence	amod
11	sequence	sequence	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 performed	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	ensure	to-infinitive							vn ensure-99 «NP V that S»: agent=Precondition clause=Theme
2	perform	present · passive		the steps		the correct sequence			vn performance-26.7 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme

Option 4

To indicate the cost of each step

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	2 indicate	mark
2	indicate	indicate	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 cost	det
4	cost	cost	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 indicate	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	7 step	case
6	each	each	DET	PronType=Tot	7 step	det
7	step	step	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 cost	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	indicate	to-infinitive		the cost of each step					vn indicate-78-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot cost=Topic
2	cost			each step					nom cost «possession 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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