Test 10 · ★ · Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature
Mila asks the vicar, «Why can't God just make us live for ever here?» What would the vicar most likely say?
Mova's choice: option 3 · The right answer: option 3 · right ✓ · Who acts: Mila, God, us, vicar · What happens: ask, not make, not live, say · To what, where: vicar, us · Speech: someone speaks here
This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 53 «Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school. 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
Sentence 1: Mila asks the vicar, «Why can't God just make us live for ever here?»
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mila | Mila | PROPN | Number=Sing | 2 asks | nsubj |
| 2 | asks | ask | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 4 vicar | det |
| 4 | vicar | vicar | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 asks | obj |
| 5 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 12 make | punct |
| 6 | « | « | PUNCT | _ | 12 make | punct |
| 7 | Why | why | ADV | PronType=Int | 12 make | advmod |
| 8 | ca | can | AUX | VerbForm=Fin | 12 make | aux |
| 9 | n't | not | PART | Polarity=Neg | 12 make | advmod |
| 10 | God | God | PROPN | Number=Sing | 12 make | nsubj |
| 11 | just | just | ADV | _ | 12 make | advmod |
| 12 | make | make | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 2 asks | parataxis |
| 13 | us | we | PRON | Case=Acc Number=Plur Person=1 PronType=Prs | 12 make | obj |
| 14 | live | live | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 12 make | xcomp |
| 15 | for | for | ADP | _ | 17 here | case |
| 16 | ever | ever | ADV | PronType=Ind | 17 here | advmod |
| 17 | here | here | ADV | PronType=Dem | 14 live | obl |
| 18 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 2 asks | punct |
| 19 | » | » | PUNCT | _ | 2 asks | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ask speech: ask | present | Mila | the vicar | vn urge-58.1-1-1 «NP V NP that S»: agent=Agent vicar=Recipient clause=Topic | ||||
| 2 | not make in a quote | can | God | us | tree rules | ||||
| 3 | not live in a quote | infinitive | us not said here | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V»: agent=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.
Sentence 2: What would the vicar most likely say?
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | what | PRON | PronType=Int | 7 say | obj |
| 2 | would | would | AUX | VerbForm=Fin | 7 say | aux |
| 3 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 4 vicar | det |
| 4 | vicar | vicar | NOUN | Number=Sing | 7 say | nsubj |
| 5 | most | most | ADV | Degree=Sup | 6 likely | advmod |
| 6 | likely | likely | ADV | _ | 7 say | advmod |
| 7 | say | say | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | root | root |
| 8 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 7 say | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | say speech: assert | would | the vicar | likely property | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic |
The options
Option 1
Only vicars get to live for ever
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Only | only | ADV | _ | 2 vicars | advmod |
| 2 | vicars | vicar | NOUN | Number=Plur | 3 get | nsubj |
| 3 | get | get | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 4 | to | to | PART | _ | 5 live | mark |
| 5 | live | live | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 3 get | xcomp |
| 6 | for | for | ADP | _ | 7 ever | case |
| 7 | ever | ever | ADV | PronType=Ind | 5 live | obl |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | get | present | vicars | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V how S_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | |||||
| 2 | live | to-infinitive | vicars not said here | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
Option 2
Everyone lives for ever on earth if they pray hard enough every day
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everyone | everyone | PRON | Number=Sing PronType=Tot | 2 lives | nsubj |
| 2 | lives | live | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | for | for | ADP | _ | 4 ever | case |
| 4 | ever | ever | ADV | PronType=Ind | 2 lives | obl |
| 5 | on | on | ADP | _ | 6 earth | case |
| 6 | earth | earth | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 lives | obl |
| 7 | if | if | SCONJ | _ | 9 pray | mark |
| 8 | they | they | PRON | Case=Nom Number=Plur Person=3 PronType=Prs | 9 pray | nsubj |
| 9 | pray | pray | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 lives | advcl |
| 10 | hard | hard | ADV | Degree=Pos | 9 pray | advmod |
| 11 | enough | enough | ADV | _ | 9 pray | advmod |
| 12 | every | every | DET | PronType=Tot | 13 day | det |
| 13 | day | day | NOUN | Number=Sing | 9 pray | obl:unmarked |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | live | present | Everyone | earth | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on earth=Location | ||||
| 2 | pray a condition, not said to happen | present | they | day | enough, hard property | vn long-32.2 «NP V S_INF»: agent=Pivot |
Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer
Christians believe death is not the end, because Jesus rose again
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christians | Christian | PROPN | Number=Plur | 2 believe | nsubj |
| 2 | believe | believe | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | death | death | NOUN | Number=Sing | 7 end | nsubj |
| 4 | is | be | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 7 end | cop |
| 5 | not | not | PART | Polarity=Neg | 7 end | advmod |
| 6 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 7 end | det |
| 7 | end | end | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 believe | ccomp |
| 8 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 11 rose | punct |
| 9 | because | because | SCONJ | _ | 11 rose | mark |
| 10 | Jesus | Jesus | PROPN | Number=Sing | 11 rose | nsubj |
| 11 | rose | rise | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 2 believe | conj |
| 12 | again | again | ADV | _ | 11 rose | advmod |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | believe | present | Christians | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer | |||||
| 2 | not is a | present | death | the end | tree rules | ||||
| 3 | rise | past | Jesus | again | vn assuming_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
Option 4
God has forgotten about the people who die
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God | God | PROPN | Number=Sing | 3 forgotten | nsubj |
| 2 | has | have | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 3 forgotten | aux |
| 3 | forgotten | forget | VERB | Tense=Past VerbForm=Part | root | root |
| 4 | about | about | ADP | _ | 6 people | case |
| 5 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 6 people | det |
| 6 | people | people | NOUN | Number=Plur | 3 forgotten | obl |
| 7 | who | who | PRON | PronType=Rel | 8 die | nsubj |
| 8 | die | die | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 6 people | acl:relcl |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | forget | present · perfect | God | about the people | tree rules | ||||
| 2 | die | present | the people | vn calibratable_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=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.
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life/t10/