Exam question 4 · How to argue: reasons and evidence

Whereas a respondent asserts that the matter "depends", ascertain the manner in which such an assertion is properly made.

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 1 · right ✓ · Who acts: respondent, matter, you · What happens: assert, depend, ascertain, make · To what, where: matter, manner, assertion

This is exam question 4 of lesson 39 «How to argue: reasons and evidence» 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	Whereas	whereas	SCONJ	_	4 asserts	mark
2	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	3 respondent	det
3	respondent	respondent	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 asserts	nsubj
4	asserts	assert	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	12 ascertain	advcl
5	that	that	SCONJ	_	7 matter	mark
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 matter	det
7	matter	matter	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 asserts	obj
8	"	"	PUNCT	_	9 depends	punct
9	depends	depend	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	7 matter	acl:relcl
10	"	"	PUNCT	_	9 depends	punct
11	,	,	PUNCT	_	12 ascertain	punct
12	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
13	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	14 manner	det
14	manner	manner	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 ascertain	obj
15	in	in	ADP	_	16 which	case
16	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	22 made	obl
17	such	such	DET	PronType=Ind	19 assertion	det:predet
18	an	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	19 assertion	det
19	assertion	assertion	NOUN	Number=Sing	22 made	nsubj:pass
20	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	22 made	aux:pass
21	properly	properly	ADV	_	22 made	advmod
22	made	make	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	14 manner	acl:relcl
23	.	.	PUNCT	_	12 ascertain	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	where	other	roles by
1	assert	present	a respondent	the matter			vn reflexive_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent matter=Theme
2	depend in a quote	present	the matter not said here				vn rely-70 «NP V PP.theme S_ING»: agent=Agent
3	ascertain	imperative	you not said here	the manner			vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent manner=Topic
4	make	present · passive		such assertion	the manner	properly property	vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product

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 right answer

By stating the principal factors upon which the matter depends

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	SCONJ	_	2 stating	mark
2	stating	state	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	10 depends	advcl
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	5 factors	det
4	principal	principal	ADJ	Degree=Pos	5 factors	amod
5	factors	factor	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 stating	obj
6	upon	upon	ADP	_	7 which	case
7	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	9 matter	obl
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 matter	det
9	matter	matter	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 factors	nmod
10	depends	depend	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	state speech: other	gerund		the principal factors the matter					vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent factor=Topic
2	depend	present							vn rely-70 «NP V PP.theme S_ING»: agent=Agent

Option 2

By asserting that every possible answer is equally correct and equally good

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	SCONJ	_	2 asserting	mark
2	asserting	assert	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	root	root
3	that	that	SCONJ	_	9 correct	mark
4	every	every	DET	PronType=Tot	6 answer	det
5	possible	possible	ADJ	Degree=Pos	6 answer	amod
6	answer	answer	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 correct	nsubj
7	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	9 correct	cop
8	equally	equally	ADV	_	9 correct	advmod
9	correct	correct	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 asserting	ccomp
10	and	and	CCONJ	_	12 good	cc
11	equally	equally	ADV	_	12 good	advmod
12	good	good	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 correct	conj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	other	roles by
1	assert	gerund			vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent
2	is	present	every possible answer	correct, equally property	tree rules
3	be		every possible answer not said here	equally property	tree rules

Option 3

By deferring the question indefinitely to a later occasion

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	SCONJ	_	2 deferring	mark
2	deferring	defer	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 question	det
4	question	question	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 deferring	obj
5	indefinitely	indefinitely	ADV	_	2 deferring	advmod
6	to	to	ADP	_	9 occasion	case
7	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	9 occasion	det
8	later	late	ADJ	Degree=Cmp	9 occasion	amod
9	occasion	occasion	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 deferring	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	defer	gerund		the question				to a later occasion; indefinitely property	vn delay-53.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent question=Source

Option 4

By declining to furnish any further explanation whatsoever

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	SCONJ	_	2 declining	mark
2	declining	decline	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	root	root
3	to	to	PART	_	4 furnish	mark
4	furnish	furnish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	2 declining	xcomp
5	any	any	DET	PronType=Ind	7 explanation	det
6	further	further	ADJ	Degree=Pos	7 explanation	amod
7	explanation	explanation	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 furnish	obj
8	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	_	4 furnish	advmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	decline	gerund							vn reject-77.2 «NP V S_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme
2	not furnish	to-infinitive		any further explanation				whatsoever property	vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent explanation=Recipient

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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