---
title: why did the branch break off the tree? — pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128:… · tree and pragmatics
description: why did the branch break off the tree? Test 12 · ★ of lesson 917 «pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128: Anthony visits Molly, is turned away, and finds the apple-tree still bearing fruit» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of eac
---

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# Test 12 · ★ · pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128: Anthony visits Molly…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
why did the branch break off the tree?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** branch · **What happens:** break off · **To what, where:** tree

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 12 · ★ of lesson 917 «pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128: Anthony visits Molly, is turned away, and finds the apple-tree still bearing fruit» 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/917-pg27200-part128/#t12).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:917-pg27200-part128:t12:1
# text = why did the branch break off the tree?
1	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	branch	branch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	break	break	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	off	off	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	tree	tree	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break off** | past · do-support | the branch | the tree |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer tree=Patient |

<!-- .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 storm blew past and snapped it off

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:917-pg27200-part128:t12:o1:1
# text = A storm blew past and snapped it off
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	storm	storm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	blew	blow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	past	past	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	snapped	snap	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	off	off	ADP	RP	_	6	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **blow past** | past | a storm |  |  |  |  | past *property* | vn split-23.2 «NP V apart»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **snap off** | past | a storm *not said here* | storm |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location it=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A heavy frost in winter froze it and it cracked off under the weight of ice

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:917-pg27200-part128:t12:o2:1
# text = A heavy frost in winter froze it and it cracked off under the weight of ice
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	frost	frost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	winter	winter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	froze	freeze	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	cracked	crack	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
11	off	off	ADP	RP	_	10	compound:prt	_	_
12	under	under	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	ice	ice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **freeze** | past | a heavy frost in winter | it |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Patient it=Result |
| 2 | **crack off** | past | frost |  |  | the weight of ice |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme under weight=Location |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some kids passed by and broke it, mischievous hands

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:917-pg27200-part128:t12:o3:1
# text = Some kids passed by and broke it, mischievous hands
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	det	_	_
2	kids	kid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	passed	pass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	broke	break	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	mischievous	mischievous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass by** | participle |  | some kids and mischievous hands *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **break** | past |  | it |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some kids passed by on the road and broke it off with their mischievous hands

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:917-pg27200-part128:t12:o4:1
# text = Some kids passed by on the road and broke it off with their mischievous hands
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	det	_	_
2	kids	kid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
3	passed	pass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
9	broke	break	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	off	off	ADP	RP	_	9	compound:prt	_	_
12	with	with	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	15	nmod:poss	_	_
14	mischievous	mischievous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass** | participle |  | some kids *not said here* |  |  |  | by the road | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme by road=Location |
| 2 | **break off** | past | some kids | road |  |  |  | with kids's mischievous hands | vn break-45.1 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent it=Patient with hand=Instrument |

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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: [pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128:…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/917-pg27200-part128/t11/)
- next →: [pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128:…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/917-pg27200-part128/e1/)
- ↑ back to [pg27200, Anthony and Molly, part 128: Anthony visits Molly, is turned away, and finds the apple-tree still bearing fruit](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/917-pg27200-part128/)