---
title: Why did Alice ask "What is a Caucus-race?"? — Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why did Alice ask "What is a Caucus-race?"? Test 8 · ★★ 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 tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Test 8 · ★★ · Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part 1: The driest thing…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why did Alice ask "What is a Caucus-race?"?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Alice · **What happens:** ask, be · **To what, where:** Caucus race · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★★ 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/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t8:1
# text = Why did Alice ask "What is a Caucus-race?"?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	Alice	Alice	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	ask	ask	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	11	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	Caucus	Caucus	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	race	race	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past · do-support | Alice |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present |  | a Caucus race |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
The Mouse had said it was the best race ever, and she believed it

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t8:o1:1
# text = The Mouse had said it was the best race ever, and she believed it
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Mouse	mouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	9	amod	_	_
9	race	race	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	ccomp	_	_
10	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	9	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	believed	believe	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · perfect · passive |  | the Mouse |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** | past | Mouse | the best race |  |  | ever |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **believe** | past | she | Mouse |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She wanted to know its meaning exactly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t8:o2:1
# text = She wanted to know its meaning exactly
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|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	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** | past | She |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **know** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | She *not said here* | its meaning |  |  |  | exactly *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer meaning=Stimulus |
| 3 | **mean** |  | its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She had never heard such a long word before in her life, and it startled her

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t8:o3:1
# text = She had never heard such a long word before in her life, and it startled her
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	heard	hear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	such	such	DET	PDT	PronType=Ind	8	det:predet	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
9	before	before	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
16	startled	startle	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
17	her	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **hear** | past · perfect | She | such long word |  |  | before her life |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer word=Stimulus |
| 2 | **startle** | past | word | her *= she* |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus she=Experiencer |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Dodo paused as if somebody ought to speak

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race:t8:o4:1
# text = The Dodo paused as if somebody ought to speak
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Dodo	Dodo	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	paused	pause	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
5	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
6	somebody	somebody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	9	nsubj	_	_
7	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	speak	speak	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pause** | past | the Dodo |  |  |  |  |  | vn linger-53.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **speak** *speech: other* | ought | somebody |  |  |  |  |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=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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- next →: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter III, part…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/5-alice-ch3-part1-a-caucus-race/t9/)
- ↑ 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/)