Exam question 1 · Algorithms, bubbles and false balance

Which of the following most accurately characterises the function of an algorithm in determining the content of a feed?

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 3 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: algorithm · What happens: follow, characteris, determine · To what, where: function, content

This is exam question 1 of lesson 34 «Algorithms, bubbles and false balance» of the politics 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	4 following	nsubj
2	of	of	ADP	_	4 following	case
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 following	det
4	following	follow	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	root	root
5	most	most	ADV	Degree=Sup	6 accurately	advmod
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	_	7 characterises	advmod
7	characterises	characteris	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	4 following	advcl
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 function	det
9	function	function	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 characterises	obj
10	of	of	ADP	_	12 algorithm	case
11	an	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	12 algorithm	det
12	algorithm	algorithm	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 function	nmod
13	in	in	SCONJ	_	14 determining	mark
14	determining	determine	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	12 algorithm	acl
15	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	16 content	det
16	content	content	NOUN	Number=Sing	14 determining	obj
17	of	of	ADP	_	19 feed	case
18	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	19 feed	det
19	feed	feed	NOUN	Number=Sing	16 content	nmod
20	?	?	PUNCT	_	4 following	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 function of a algorithm	accurately property	tree rules
3	determine	gerund	a algorithm not said here	the content of a feed		vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent content=Topic

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 selection of content by the user's acquaintances, who are notified of each item and approve it in advance

The tree, 20 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 selection	det
2	selection	selection	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	4 content	case
4	content	content	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 selection	nmod
5	by	by	ADP	_	9 acquaintances	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 user	det
7	user	user	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 acquaintances	nmod:poss
8	's	's	PART	_	7 user	case
9	acquaintances	acquaintance	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 selection	nmod
10	,	,	PUNCT	_	13 notified	punct
11	who	who	PRON	PronType=Rel	13 notified	nsubj
12	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	13 notified	aux:pass
13	notified	notify	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	9 acquaintances	acl
14	of	of	ADP	_	16 item	case
15	each	each	DET	PronType=Tot	16 item	det
16	item	item	NOUN	Number=Sing	13 notified	obl
17	and	and	CCONJ	_	18 approve	cc
18	approve	approve	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	13 notified	conj
19	it	it	PRON	Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	18 approve	obj
20	in	in	ADP	_	21 advance	case
21	advance	advance	NOUN	Number=Sing	18 approve	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	where	other	roles by
1	notify speech: other	present · passive		the user's acquaintances		of each item	vn advise-37.9 «NP V NP PP.topic»: subject=Recipient of item=Topic
2	approve	infinitive		item	advance		vn allow-64.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Beneficiary
3	select		the user's acquaintances	content			nom selection «act transitive»: of=patient by=agent
4	acquaint		the user				nom acquaintance «cognition transitive»: poss=agent

Option 2

The random selection of content without regard to the user

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	3 selection	det
2	random	random	ADJ	Degree=Pos	3 selection	amod
3	selection	selection	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
4	of	of	ADP	_	5 content	case
5	content	content	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 selection	nmod
6	without	without	ADP	_	7 regard	case
7	regard	regard	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 selection	nmod
8	to	to	ADP	_	10 user	case
9	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	10 user	det
10	user	user	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 regard	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	select			content				without regard to the user	nom selection «act transitive»: of=patient without=obl

Option 3 · ✓ the right answer

The selection of content in accordance with rules applied to the user's previous viewing

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 selection	det
2	selection	selection	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	4 content	case
4	content	content	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 selection	nmod
5	in	in	ADP	_	6 accordance	case
6	accordance	accordance	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 content	nmod
7	with	with	ADP	_	8 rules	case
8	rules	rule	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 selection	nmod
9	applied	apply	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	8 rules	acl
10	to	to	ADP	_	15 viewing	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 user	det
12	user	user	NOUN	Number=Sing	15 viewing	nmod:poss
13	's	's	PART	_	12 user	case
14	previous	previous	ADJ	Degree=Pos	15 viewing	amod
15	viewing	viewing	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 applied	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	apply	participle		rules not said here				to the user's previous viewing	vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent
2	select			content in accordance				with rules	nom selection «act transitive»: of=patient with=obl

Option 4

The reading of the user's thoughts by artificial means

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 reading	det
2	reading	reading	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 means	nsubj
3	of	of	ADP	_	7 thoughts	case
4	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 user	det
5	user	user	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 thoughts	nmod:poss
6	's	's	PART	_	5 user	case
7	thoughts	thought	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 reading	nmod
8	by	by	ADP	_	9 artificial	case
9	artificial	artificial	ADJ	Degree=Pos	7 thoughts	nmod
10	means	mean	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	roles by
1	mean	present	the reading of the user's thoughts by artificial		vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent
2	read			the user's thoughts by artificial	nom reading «cognition transitive»: of=patient
3	think		the user		nom thought «cognition transitive»: poss=agent

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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