---
title: ★★★ A strange letter: «not directed», «not in the prisoner's handwri… — Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part… · tree and pragmatics
description: ★★★ A strange letter: «not directed», «not in the prisoner's handwriting», «no name signed». How many of these three facts are real evidence that the Knave wrote it? Test 18 · ★★★ of lesson 23 «Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part 1: Alice's Evidence (Rule Forty-two and the unsigned letter)» of th
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/23-alice-alices-evidence-1/t18/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/) / [Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/23-alice-alices-evidence-1/) / t18

# Test 18 · ★★★ · Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part 1: Alice's Evidence…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
★★★ A strange letter: «not directed», «not in the prisoner's handwriting», «no name signed». How many of these three facts are real evidence that the Knave wrote it?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** ★, prisoner, many, Knave · **What happens:** ★, not direct, sign, handwrite, be, write · **To what, where:** strange letter, name, real evidence, evidence · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 18 · ★★★ of lesson 23 «Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part 1: Alice's Evidence (Rule Forty-two and the unsigned letter)» 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/23-alice-alices-evidence-1/#t18).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* ★★★ A strange letter: «not directed», «not in the prisoner's handwriting», «no name signed».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:23-alice-alices-evidence-1:t18:1
# text = ★★★ A strange letter: «not directed», «not in the prisoner's handwriting», «no name signed».
1	★	★	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	★	★	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	1	dep	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	★	★	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	strange	strange	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	directed	direct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
13	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	19	advmod	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	prisoner	prisoner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	's	's	PART	POS	_	17	case	_	_
19	handwriting	handwriting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
22	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	24	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	24	det	_	_
24	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	parataxis	_	_
25	signed	sign	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	24	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	25	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **★** | present | ★ | a strange letter |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **direct** *in a quote* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn performance-26.7 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **sign** *in a quote* | participle |  | no name *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn image\_impression-25.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **handwrite** *in a quote* |  | the prisoner |  |  |  |  |  | nom handwriting «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* How many of these three facts are real evidence that the Knave wrote it?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:23-alice-alices-evidence-1:t18:2
# text = How many of these three facts are real evidence that the Knave wrote it?
1	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	2	advmod	_	_
2	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	these	this	DET	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	6	det	_	_
5	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	facts	fact	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	Knave	Knave	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	wrote	write	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | many of this three facts | real evidence |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **write** | past | the Knave | evidence |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
All three of them, since each one proves something

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:23-alice-alices-evidence-1:t18:o1:1
# text = All three of them, since each one proves something
1	All	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	since	since	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
7	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	proves	prove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prove** | present | all three of them | something |  |  |  |  | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
None of them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:23-alice-alices-evidence-1:t18:o2:1
# text = None of them
1	None	none	PRON	NN	PronType=Neg	0	root	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Two of them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:23-alice-alices-evidence-1:t18:o3:1
# text = Two of them
1	Two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	0	root	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Two of them are real evidence, the third is not, I think

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:23-alice-alices-evidence-1:t18:o4:1
# text = Two of them are real evidence, the third is not, I think
1	Two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	nmod	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	third	third	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	think	think	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Two of them | real evidence |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **be** | present | the third | real evidence *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot evidence=Theme |
| 3 | **think** *speech: other* | present | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part…, test 17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/23-alice-alices-evidence-1/t17/)
- next →: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part…, test 19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/23-alice-alices-evidence-1/t19/)
- ↑ back to [Alice in Wonderland, chapter XII, part 1: Alice's Evidence (Rule Forty-two and the unsigned letter)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/23-alice-alices-evidence-1/)