Exam question 4 · Noah and the Tower of Babel

Ascertain the purpose for which, according to Genesis, the Tower of Babel was undertaken.

Mova's choice: option 3 · The right answer: option 3 · right ✓ · Who acts: you · What happens: ascertain, accord, undertake · To what, where: purpose, Genesis

This is exam question 4 of lesson 3 «Noah and the Tower of Babel» of the religion ethics 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	3 purpose	det
3	purpose	purpose	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Ascertain	obj
4	for	for	ADP	_	5 which	case
5	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	16 undertaken	obl
6	,	,	PUNCT	_	9 Genesis	punct
7	according	accord	VERB	ExtPos=ADP Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	9 Genesis	case
8	to	to	ADP	_	7 according	fixed
9	Genesis	Genesis	PROPN	Number=Sing	16 undertaken	nsubj:pass
10	,	,	PUNCT	_	12 Tower	punct
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 Tower	det
12	Tower	Tower	PROPN	Number=Sing	9 Genesis	conj
13	of	of	ADP	_	14 Babel	case
14	Babel	Babel	PROPN	Number=Sing	12 Tower	nmod
15	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	16 undertaken	aux:pass
16	undertaken	undertake	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	3 purpose	acl:relcl
17	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Ascertain	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	ascertain	imperative	you not said here	the purpose		vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent purpose=Topic
2	accord	gerund				vn future_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent
3	undertake	past · passive		Genesis and the Tower of Babel	for the purpose	vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Eventuality

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

That the languages of the nations might be preserved for all generations

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	That	that	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Dem	2 the	nsubj
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	3 languages	det
3	languages	language	NOUN	Number=Plur	9 preserved	nsubj:pass
4	of	of	ADP	_	6 nations	case
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 nations	det
6	nations	nation	NOUN	Number=Plur	3 languages	nmod
7	might	might	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	9 preserved	aux
8	be	be	AUX	VerbForm=Inf	9 preserved	aux:pass
9	preserved	preserve	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
10	for	for	ADP	_	12 generations	case
11	all	all	DET	PronType=Tot	12 generations	det
12	generations	generation	NOUN	Number=Plur	9 preserved	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	preserve	might · passive		the languages of the nations			for all generations		vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Beneficiary

Option 2

That its builders might take refuge from the deluge should it return again

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	That	that	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Dem	5 take	nsubj
2	its	its	PRON	Case=Gen Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs	3 builders	nmod:poss
3	builders	builder	NOUN	Number=Plur	5 take	nsubj
4	might	might	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	5 take	aux
5	take	take	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
6	refuge	refuge	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 take	obj
7	from	from	ADP	_	9 deluge	case
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 deluge	det
9	deluge	deluge	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 take	obl
10	should	should	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	12 return	aux
11	it	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	12 return	nsubj
12	return	return	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	5 take	parataxis
13	again	again	ADV	_	12 return	advmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	take	might	That	refuge		the deluge			vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP PP.initial_location»: agent=Agent refuge=Theme from deluge=Initial_Location
2	return	should	refuge				again		vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme

Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer

That its builders might reach heaven and make a name for themselves

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	That	that	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Dem	5 reach	nsubj
2	its	its	PRON	Case=Gen Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs	3 builders	nmod:poss
3	builders	builder	NOUN	Number=Plur	5 reach	nsubj
4	might	might	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	5 reach	aux
5	reach	reach	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
6	heaven	heaven	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 reach	obj
7	and	and	CCONJ	_	8 make	cc
8	make	make	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	5 reach	conj
9	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	10 name	det
10	name	name	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 make	obj
11	for	for	ADP	_	12 themselves	case
12	themselves	themselves	PRON	Case=Acc Number=Plur Person=3 PronType=Prs Reflex=Yes	8 make	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	reach	might	That	heaven					vn body_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent heaven=Theme
2	make	infinitive	That not said here	a name				for builders = builder	vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP P.asset»: agent=Agent name=Product for themselves=Asset

Option 4

That grain might be stored therein against a famine of seven years' duration

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	That	that	DET	Number=Sing PronType=Dem	2 grain	det
2	grain	grain	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 stored	nsubj:pass
3	might	might	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	5 stored	aux
4	be	be	AUX	VerbForm=Inf	5 stored	aux:pass
5	stored	store	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
6	therein	therein	ADV	_	5 stored	advmod
7	against	against	ADP	_	9 famine	case
8	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	9 famine	det
9	famine	famine	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 stored	obl
10	of	of	ADP	_	14 duration	case
11	seven	seven	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	12 years	nummod
12	years	year	NOUN	Number=Plur	14 duration	nmod:poss
13	'	's	PART	_	12 years	case
14	duration	duration	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 famine	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	store	might · passive		that grain		a famine of seven years's duration		therein property	vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: subject=Theme against famine=Location

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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