---
title: Mason from Texas: "Y'all, that Duck's dumb, he don't know what 'it'… — Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part… · tree and pragmatics
description: Mason from Texas: "Y'all, that Duck's dumb, he don't know what 'it' means." ("y'all" = you all.) What was the Duck really asking? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 5 «Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part 1: The driest thing and the Caucus-race» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency
---

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# Test 5 · ★★ · Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part 1: The driest thing…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mason from Texas: "Y'all, that Duck's dumb, he don't know what 'it' means." ("y'all" = you all.) What was the Duck really asking?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Mason, Duck · **What happens:** not know, mean, ask · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 5 «Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part 1: The driest thing and the Caucus-race» 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/5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Mason from Texas: "Y'all, that Duck's dumb, he don't know what 'it' means."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:1
# text = Mason from Texas: "Y'all, that Duck's dumb, he don't know what 'it' means."
1	Mason	mason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
2	from	from	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	Texas	Texas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Y'all	y'all	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	9	det	_	_
9	Duck	Duck	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	dumb	dumb	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
13	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
14	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	_
16	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	parataxis	_	_
17	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	21	obj	_	_
18	'	'	PUNCT	``	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	21	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	'	'	PUNCT	''	_	19	punct	_	_
21	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **know** *in a quote* | present · do-support | Mason |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 2 | **mean** *in a quote* | present | Duck |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

<!-- .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:* ("y'all" = you all.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:2
# text = ("y'all" = you all.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	y'all	y'all	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	=	=	SYM	SYM	_	6	punct	_	_
6	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	appos	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	nmod:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What was the Duck really asking?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:3
# text = What was the Duck really asking?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	Duck	duck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	really	really	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	asking	ask	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past · progressive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What exactly the archbishop found

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:o1:1
# text = What exactly the archbishop found
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	5	obj	_	_
2	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	archbishop	archbishop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	found	find	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** | past | the archbishop |  |  |  |  | exactly *property* | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What the Lory had already eaten

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:o2:1
# text = What the Lory had already eaten
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	Lory	Lory	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	already	already	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	eaten	eat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	1	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** | past · perfect | the Lory |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What the Dodo meant by it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:o3:1
# text = What the Dodo meant by it
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	Dodo	Dodo	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	meant	mean	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | past | the Dodo |  |  |  |  | by it | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Where the Duck lives

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t5:o4:1
# text = Where the Duck lives
1	Where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	4	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	Duck	duck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	lives	live	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | the Duck |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1-1 «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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- ← previous: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part…, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race/t4/)
- next →: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part…, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race/t6/)
- ↑ back to [Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part 1: The driest thing and the Caucus-race](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race/)