---
title: Why were the kids so starving, anyway? — Project Gutenberg 641, Stan Bolovan: t… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why were the kids so starving, anyway? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 1771 «Project Gutenberg 641, Stan Bolovan: the dragon flees from a hundred children» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 8 · ★ · Project Gutenberg 641, Stan Bolovan: the dragon flees from…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why were the kids so starving, anyway?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** kids · **What happens:** starve

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 1771 «Project Gutenberg 641, Stan Bolovan: the dragon flees from a hundred children» of the books 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/books/1771-pg641-part22/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1771-pg641-part22:t8:1
# text = Why were the kids so starving, anyway?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	kids	kid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	so	so	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	starving	starve	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
8	anyway	anyway	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **starve** | past · progressive | the kids |  |  |  |  | anyway *property* | 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 -->
Their dad stole all the bread last week

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1771-pg641-part22:t8:o1:1
# text = Their dad stole all the bread last week
1	Their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	stole	steal	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	6	det:predet	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	bread	bread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	last	last	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **steal** | past | Their dad | all bread |  |  | week |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location bread=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They hadn't eaten since their dad left, and the whole village had run out of bread

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1771-pg641-part22:t8:o2:1
# text = They hadn't eaten since their dad left, and the whole village had run out of bread
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	eaten	eat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	since	since	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	village	village	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
14	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
15	run	run	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
16	out	out	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	bread	bread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **eat** | past · perfect | They |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **leave** | past | their dad |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **run** | past · perfect · passive |  | the whole village |  | bread |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: subject=Theme out bread=Trajectory |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They hadn't eaten since their dad left to sell the cows at the market in town

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1771-pg641-part22:t8:o3:1
# text = They hadn't eaten since their dad left to sell the cows at the market in town
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	eaten	eat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	since	since	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	sell	sell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	cows	cow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
13	at	at	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	market	market	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **eat** | past · perfect | They |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **leave** | past | their dad |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **sell** | to-infinitive | their dad *not said here* | the cows |  | the market in town |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent cow=Theme at market=Asset |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They hadn't eaten since their dad left

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1771-pg641-part22:t8:o4:1
# text = They hadn't eaten since their dad left
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	eaten	eat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	since	since	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **eat** | past · perfect | They |  |  |  | since their dad |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **leave** | participle |  | their dad *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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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