---
title: Why might Darwin have waited so long before publishing his idea? — How scientists find out: naturalists,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why might Darwin have waited so long before publishing his idea? Test 5 of lesson 264 «How scientists find out: naturalists, Darwin, the microscope and wildlife filming» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's
---

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# Test 5 · How scientists find out: naturalists, Darwin, the microsco…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why might Darwin have waited so long before publishing his idea?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Darwin · **What happens:** wait, publish · **To what, where:** idea

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 of lesson 264 «How scientists find out: naturalists, Darwin, the microscope and wildlife filming» of the biology 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/264-how-scientists-find-out-naturalists-darwin-the-microscope-and-wildlife-filming/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:264-how-scientists-find-out-naturalists-darwin-the-microscope-and-wildlife-filming:t5:1
# text = Why might Darwin have waited so long before publishing his idea?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	Darwin	Darwin	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	waited	wait	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
6	so	so	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	5	advmod	_	_
8	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	publishing	publish	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	advcl	_	_
10	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | might · perfect | Darwin |  |  |  |  | long *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **publish** | gerund | Darwin *not said here* | Darwin's idea |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent idea=Result |

<!-- .note -->
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 {#options}

### Option 1 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He wanted lots of careful evidence for a very surprising idea

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:264-how-scientists-find-out-naturalists-darwin-the-microscope-and-wildlife-filming:t5:o1:1
# text = He wanted lots of careful evidence for a very surprising idea
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	lots	lot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	very	very	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	surprising	surprising	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** | past | He | lots of careful evidence |  |  |  | for a surprising idea | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot lot=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His ship was lost at sea for 20 years with all of his notebooks on board

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:264-how-scientists-find-out-naturalists-darwin-the-microscope-and-wildlife-filming:t5:o2:1
# text = His ship was lost at sea for 20 years with all of his notebooks on board
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	ship	ship	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	lost	lose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	20	20	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
9	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
10	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	nmod	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	notebooks	notebook	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nmod	_	_
15	on	on	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	board	board	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past · passive |  | His ship |  | sea | year |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was waiting for a computer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:264-how-scientists-find-out-naturalists-darwin-the-microscope-and-wildlife-filming:t5:o3:1
# text = He was waiting for a computer
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	waiting	wait	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	computer	computer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | past · progressive | He |  |  |  |  | for a computer | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He forgot where he had put his notes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:264-how-scientists-find-out-naturalists-darwin-the-microscope-and-wildlife-filming:t5:o4:1
# text = He forgot where he had put his notes
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	forgot	forget	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	6	advmod	_	_
4	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
5	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	put	put	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
7	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	notes	note	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forget** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **put** | past · perfect | he | his notes |  |  |  |  | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent note=Goal |
| 3 | **note** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom note «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

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**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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