---
title: «why can't we just ride zebras, they're horses in pyjamas» What is t… — Horses, cattle, camels and chickens: h… · tree and pragmatics
description: «why can't we just ride zebras, they're horses in pyjamas» What is the problem? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 293 «Horses, cattle, camels and chickens: how people tamed animals» 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 · ★★ · Horses, cattle, camels and chickens: how people tamed anim…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«why can't we just ride zebras, they're horses in pyjamas» What is the problem?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** we, zebras · **What happens:** not ride, be · **To what, where:** zebras, horses, pyjamas, problem

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 293 «Horses, cattle, camels and chickens: how people tamed animals» 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/293-horses-cattle-camels-and-chickens-how-people-tamed-animals/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:293-horses-cattle-camels-and-chickens-how-people-tamed-animals:t5:1
# text = «why can't we just ride zebras, they're horses in pyjamas» What is the problem?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
3	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
5	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	ride	ride	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	zebras	zebra	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
10	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	horses	horse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	parataxis	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	pyjamas	pyjama	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
16	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	obj	_	_
17	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **ride** *in a quote* | can | we | zebras |  |  |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent zebra=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | zebras *= zebra* | horses and the problem |  | pyjamas |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **is a** | present | zebras *= zebra* *not said here* | the problem |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is against the law in every country of the world

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:293-horses-cattle-camels-and-chickens-how-people-tamed-animals:t5:o1:1
# text = It is against the law in every country of the world
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	against	against	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	world	world	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  | every country of the world |  | against the law | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Zebras panic, kick and bite and have never been tamed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:293-horses-cattle-camels-and-chickens-how-people-tamed-animals:t5:o2:1
# text = Zebras panic, kick and bite and have never been tamed
1	Zebras	zebra	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	panic	panic	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
4	kick	kick	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	bite	bite	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
8	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
9	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
10	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	tamed	tame	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **panic** | present | Zebras |  |  |  |  |  | vn bully-59.5 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **kick** | present | Zebras *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn split-23.2 «NP V apart»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **bite** | present | Zebras *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn swat-18.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **not** **tame** | present · perfect · passive | Zebras *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V» |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Zebra stripes are sharp and hurt to sit on for long

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:293-horses-cattle-camels-and-chickens-how-people-tamed-animals:t5:o3:1
# text = Zebra stripes are sharp and hurt to sit on for long
1	Zebra	zebra	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	stripes	stripe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	sharp	sharp	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	hurt	hurt	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	sit	sit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	compound:prt	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Zebra stripes |  |  |  |  | sharp *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **hurt** | infinitive | Zebra stripes *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **sit on** | to-infinitive | Zebra stripes *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for long | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Zebras are too slow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:293-horses-cattle-camels-and-chickens-how-people-tamed-animals:t5:o4:1
# text = Zebras are too slow
1	Zebras	zebra	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	slow	slow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Zebras |  |  |  |  | slow *property* | tree rules |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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