Exam question 3 · Ancient China: dynasties, the First Emperor and the Great…

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the doctrine designated the Mandate of Heaven?

Mova's choice: option 2 · The right answer: option 2 · right ✓ · Who acts: doctrine · What happens: follow, characteris, designate · To what, where: Mandate

This is exam question 3 of lesson 9 «Ancient China: dynasties, the First Emperor and the Great Wall» of the history 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 doctrine	det
10	doctrine	doctrine	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 designated	nsubj
11	designated	designate	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	8 characterises	ccomp
12	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 Mandate	det
13	Mandate	Mandate	PROPN	Number=Sing	11 designated	obj
14	of	of	ADP	_	15 Heaven	case
15	Heaven	Heaven	PROPN	Number=Sing	13 Mandate	nmod
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			of the following statements; accurately property	tree rules
3	designate	past	the doctrine	the Mandate of Heaven		vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mandate=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

Every subject was obliged to become an official

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Every	every	DET	PronType=Tot	2 subject	det
2	subject	subject	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 obliged	nsubj:pass
3	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	4 obliged	aux:pass
4	obliged	oblige	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
5	to	to	PART	_	6 become	mark
6	become	become	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	4 obliged	xcomp
7	an	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	8 official	det
8	official	official	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 become	xcomp

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	oblige	past · passive		every subject					vn compel-59.1-1 «NP V NP S_INF»: subject=Patient clause=Result
2	become	to-infinitive		a official					vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient

Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer

Heaven conferred the right to rule upon a virtuous ruler and might withdraw it

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Heaven	Heaven	PROPN	Number=Sing	2 conferred	nsubj
2	conferred	confer	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 right	det
4	right	right	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 conferred	obj
5	to	to	PART	_	6 rule	mark
6	rule	rule	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	4 right	acl
7	upon	upon	ADP	_	10 ruler	case
8	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	10 ruler	det
9	virtuous	virtuous	ADJ	Degree=Pos	10 ruler	amod
10	ruler	ruler	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 rule	obl
11	and	and	CCONJ	_	13 withdraw	cc
12	might	might	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	13 withdraw	aux
13	withdraw	withdraw	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	2 conferred	conj
14	it	it	PRON	Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	13 withdraw	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	confer	past	Heaven	the right		tree rules
2	rule	to-infinitive	Heaven not said here	the right not said here	upon a virtuous ruler	vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent
3	withdraw	might	Heaven not said here	right		vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme

Option 3

The emperor was to be elected annually

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 emperor	det
2	emperor	emperor	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 elected	nsubj:pass
3	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	6 elected	aux:pass
4	to	to	PART	_	6 elected	mark
5	be	be	AUX	VerbForm=Inf	6 elected	aux:pass
6	elected	elect	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
7	annually	annually	ADV	_	6 elected	advmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	elect	past · passive		the emperor				annually property	vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme

Option 4

Heaven forbade the construction of walls

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Heaven	Heaven	PROPN	Number=Sing	2 forbade	nsubj
2	forbade	forbid	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 construction	det
4	construction	construction	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 forbade	obj
5	of	of	ADP	_	6 walls	case
6	walls	wall	NOUN	Number=Plur	4 construction	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	forbid	past	Heaven	the construction of walls					vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer construction=Theme
2	construct			walls					nom construction «act 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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