Exam question 3 · Trains and the Underground

Ascertain the function of the device, frequently termed a dead man's handle, with which the driver's cab is furnished.

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 4 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: you · What happens: ascertain, term, furnish · To what, where: function, handle, cab

This is exam question 3 of lesson 21 «Trains and the Underground» of the technology 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 function	det
3	function	function	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Ascertain	obj
4	of	of	ADP	_	6 device	case
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 device	det
6	device	device	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 function	nmod
7	,	,	PUNCT	_	9 termed	punct
8	frequently	frequently	ADV	_	9 termed	advmod
9	termed	term	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	1 Ascertain	parataxis
10	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	12 man	det
11	dead	dead	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 man	amod
12	man	man	NOUN	Number=Sing	14 handle	nmod:poss
13	's	's	PART	_	12 man	case
14	handle	handle	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 termed	obj
15	,	,	PUNCT	_	23 furnished	punct
16	with	with	ADP	_	17 which	case
17	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	23 furnished	obl
18	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	19 driver	det
19	driver	driver	NOUN	Number=Sing	21 cab	nmod:poss
20	's	's	PART	_	19 driver	case
21	cab	cab	NOUN	Number=Sing	23 furnished	nsubj:pass
22	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	23 furnished	aux:pass
23	furnished	furnish	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	9 termed	conj
24	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Ascertain	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	ascertain	imperative	you not said here	the function of the device		vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic
2	term	past		a dead man's handle	frequently property	vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent handle=Theme
3	furnish	present · passive		the driver's cab		vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP-Fulfilling PP.theme»: subject=Recipient with which=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 · ← Mova's choice

It enables the driver to steer the train around obstructions

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	2 enables	nsubj
2	enables	enable	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 driver	det
4	driver	driver	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 enables	obj
5	to	to	PART	_	6 steer	mark
6	steer	steer	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	2 enables	advcl
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 train	det
8	train	train	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 steer	obj
9	around	around	ADP	_	10 obstructions	case
10	obstructions	obstruction	NOUN	Number=Plur	6 steer	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	enable	present	It	the driver					tree rules
2	steer	to-infinitive		the train		obstructions			vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent train=Theme around obstruction=Destination

Option 2

It accelerates the train automatically in the event of the driver becoming unwell, so as to reach a hospital

The tree, 19 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	2 accelerates	nsubj
2	accelerates	accelerate	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 train	det
4	train	train	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 accelerates	obj
5	automatically	automatically	ADV	_	2 accelerates	advmod
6	in	in	ADP	_	8 event	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 event	det
8	event	event	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 accelerates	obl
9	of	of	ADP	_	11 driver	case
10	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	11 driver	det
11	driver	driver	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 event	nmod
12	becoming	become	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	11 driver	acl
13	unwell	unwell	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 becoming	xcomp
14	,	,	PUNCT	_	18 reach	punct
15	so	so	ADV	_	18 reach	advmod
16	as	as	SCONJ	_	18 reach	mark
17	to	to	PART	_	18 reach	mark
18	reach	reach	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	2 accelerates	parataxis
19	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	20 hospital	det
20	hospital	hospital	NOUN	Number=Sing	18 reach	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	where	other	roles by
1	accelerate	present	It	the train	the event of the driver	automatically property	vn other_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent train=Patient
2	become	gerund	the driver not said here			unwell property	vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient
3	reach	to-infinitive		a hospital			vn body_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent hospital=Theme

Option 3

It permits passengers to communicate with the signal box

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	2 permits	nsubj
2	permits	permit	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	passengers	passenger	NOUN	Number=Plur	2 permits	obj
4	to	to	PART	_	5 communicate	mark
5	communicate	communicate	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	2 permits	xcomp
6	with	with	ADP	_	9 box	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 box	det
8	signal	signal	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 box	compound
9	box	box	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 communicate	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	permit	present	It	passengers					vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP S»: agent=Causer passenger=Beneficiary clause=Eventuality
2	communicate not said to happen	to-infinitive						with the signal box	vn correspond-36.1 «NP V PP.co-agent PP.theme whether S»: agent=Agent with box=Co-Agent

Option 4 · ✓ the right answer

It halts the train automatically should the driver cease to operate it at regular intervals

The tree, 15 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	2 halts	nsubj
2	halts	halt	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 train	det
4	train	train	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 halts	obj
5	automatically	automatically	ADV	_	9 cease	advmod
6	should	should	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	9 cease	aux
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 cease	det
8	driver	driver	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 cease	compound
9	cease	cease	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 halts	obl
10	to	to	PART	_	11 operate	mark
11	operate	operate	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	2 halts	advcl
12	it	it	PRON	Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	11 operate	obj
13	at	at	ADP	_	15 intervals	case
14	regular	regular	ADJ	Degree=Pos	15 intervals	amod
15	intervals	interval	NOUN	Number=Plur	11 operate	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	halt	present	It	the train				the driver cease obl	vn stop-55.4-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector train=Eventuality
2	operate	to-infinitive		train		regular intervals			vn function-105.2.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Theme it=Attribute

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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