Exam question 1 · When a friend's mum or dad dies: what to say and do

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises an appropriate initial communication to a bereaved schoolfellow?

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 2 · wrong ✗ · What happens: follow, characteris · To what, where: appropriate initial communication

This is exam question 1 of lesson 61 «When a friend's mum or dad dies: what to say and do» 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	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	an	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	12 communication	det
10	appropriate	appropriate	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 communication	amod
11	initial	initial	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 communication	amod
12	communication	communication	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 characterises	obj
13	to	to	ADP	_	16 schoolfellow	case
14	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	16 schoolfellow	det
15	bereaved	bereaved	ADJ	Degree=Pos	16 schoolfellow	amod
16	schoolfellow	schoolfellow	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 characterises	obl
17	?	?	PUNCT	_	8 characterises	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	follow	gerund							vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
2	characteris	present		a appropriate initial communication				of the following statements; to a bereaved schoolfellow; accurately property	tree rules

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

An enquiry as to the precise circumstances and details of the death

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	An	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	2 enquiry	det
2	enquiry	enquiry	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	as	as	ADP	ExtPos=ADP	7 circumstances	case
4	to	to	ADP	_	3 as	fixed
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 circumstances	det
6	precise	precise	ADJ	Degree=Pos	7 circumstances	amod
7	circumstances	circumstance	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 enquiry	nmod
8	and	and	CCONJ	_	9 details	cc
9	details	detail	NOUN	Number=Plur	7 circumstances	conj
10	of	of	ADP	_	12 death	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 death	det
12	death	death	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 details	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	detail			the death					nom detail «cognition transitive»: of=patient

Option 2 · ✓ the right answer

A brief and sincere expression of sorrow, followed by attentive listening

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	A	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	5 expression	det
2	brief	brief	ADJ	Degree=Pos	5 expression	amod
3	and	and	CCONJ	_	4 sincere	cc
4	sincere	sincere	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 brief	conj
5	expression	expression	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
6	of	of	ADP	_	7 sorrow	case
7	sorrow	sorrow	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 expression	nmod
8	,	,	PUNCT	_	9 followed	punct
9	followed	follow	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	5 expression	acl:relcl
10	by	by	ADP	_	12 listening	case
11	attentive	attentive	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 listening	amod
12	listening	listening	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 followed	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	follow	participle		a brief expression of sorrow not said here				by attentive listening	vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme by listening=Location

Option 3

A lengthy discourse upon the inevitability of mortality for all persons

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	A	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	3 discourse	det
2	lengthy	lengthy	ADJ	Degree=Pos	3 discourse	amod
3	discourse	discourse	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
4	upon	upon	ADP	_	6 inevitability	case
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 inevitability	det
6	inevitability	inevitability	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 discourse	nmod
7	of	of	ADP	_	8 mortality	case
8	mortality	mortality	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 inevitability	nmod
9	for	for	ADP	_	11 persons	case
10	all	all	DET	PronType=Tot	11 persons	det
11	persons	person	NOUN	Number=Plur	3 discourse	nmod

The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

Option 4

The avoidance of any communication whatsoever with the bereaved pupil hereafter

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 avoidance	det
2	avoidance	avoidance	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	5 communication	case
4	any	any	DET	PronType=Ind	5 communication	det
5	communication	communication	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 avoidance	nmod
6	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	_	5 communication	advmod
7	with	with	ADP	_	11 hereafter	case
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	11 hereafter	det
9	bereaved	bereaved	ADJ	Degree=Pos	11 hereafter	amod
10	pupil	pupil	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 hereafter	compound
11	hereafter	hereafter	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 avoidance	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	avoid			any communication				with the bereaved pupil hereafter	nom avoidance «act transitive»: of=patient with=obl

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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