---
title: Looking back: what did the Head Chief say the next picture-letter ne… — Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was… · tree and pragmatics
description: Looking back: what did the Head Chief say the next picture-letter needed? Test 11 · ★ of lesson 87 «Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp-fish's mouth, a tail, an egg and a snake» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questi
---

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# Test 11 · ★ · Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Looking back: what did the Head Chief say the next picture-letter needed?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Head Chief · **What happens:** look back, say, need · **To what, where:** next picture letter · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 11 · ★ of lesson 87 «Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp-fish's mouth, a tail, an egg and a snake» 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/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/#t11).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t11:1
# text = Looking back: what did the Head Chief say the next picture-letter needed?
1	Looking	look	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	back	back	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	1	punct	_	_
4	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	9	obj	_	_
5	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	Head	Head	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	Chief	Chief	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	say	say	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
11	next	next	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
12	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
15	needed	need	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look back** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · do-support | the Head Chief | the next picture letter |  |  |  |  | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP NP»: agent=Agent what=Theme letter=Manner |
| 3 | **need** | participle |  | the next picture letter *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot |

<!-- .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 -->
A helper who could talk their language, so that he could explain the new drawings to everybody in the Tribe

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t11:o1:1
# text = A helper who could talk their language, so that he could explain the new drawings to everybody in the Tribe
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	helper	helper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	talk	talk	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
9	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	13	mark	_	_
10	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	fixed	_	_
11	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
12	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
13	explain	explain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	drawings	drawing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obj	_	_
17	to	to	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	everybody	everybody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	13	obl	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	Tribe	Tribe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **talk** | could | a helper | their language |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent language=Patient |
| 2 | **explain** *speech: assert* | could | helper | the new drawings | everybody |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent drawing=Topic to everybody=Recipient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A better cave near the river with a fire

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t11:o2:1
# text = A better cave near the river with a fire
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	amod	_	_
3	cave	cave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	near	near	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Someone who could talk their language, to explain it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t11:o3:1
# text = Someone who could talk their language, to explain it
1	Someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	_
2	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
3	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	talk	talk	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	acl:relcl	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	explain	explain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **talk** | could |  | their language |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent language=Patient |
| 2 | **explain** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | language |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A helper who would carry the fish and wood

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t11:o4:1
# text = A helper who would carry the fish and wood
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	helper	helper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
4	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	carry	carry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl:relcl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | would | a helper | the fish and wood |  |  |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fish=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.

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- ← previous: [Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was…, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/t10/)
- next →: [Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was…, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/t12/)
- ↑ back to [Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp-fish's mouth, a tail, an egg and a snake](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/)