---
title: "why does cutting onions make me cry but the whole onion in the bag… — Cooking is chemistry · tree and pragmatics
description: "why does cutting onions make me cry but the whole onion in the bag doesn't" Best answer? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 10 «Cooking is chemistry» of the chemistry 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 5 · ★★ · Cooking is chemistry

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"why does cutting onions make me cry but the whole onion in the bag doesn't" Best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** me, whole onion · **What happens:** do, cut, make, cry, not do · **To what, where:** onions, me, Best answer

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 10 «Cooking is chemistry» of the chemistry 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/chemistry/10-cooking-is-chemistry/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:t5:1
# text = "why does cutting onions make me cry but the whole onion in the bag doesn't" Best answer?
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
3	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
4	cutting	cut	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
5	onions	onion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	cry	cry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	onion	onion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	bag	bag	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
16	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	20	punct	_	_
19	Best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	20	amod	_	_
20	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** *in a quote* | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **cut** *in a quote* | gerund |  | onions |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset onion=Product |
| 3 | **make** *in a quote* | present |  | me |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **cry** *speech: express* *in a quote* | infinitive | me *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **not** **do** *in a quote* | present | the whole onion in the bag | Best answer |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Whole onions are always kept frozen in the shop, so they cannot sting

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:t5:o1:1
# text = Whole onions are always kept frozen in the shop, so they cannot sting
1	Whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	onions	onion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	5	advmod	_	_
5	kept	keep	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	frozen	freeze	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	xcomp	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
11	so	so	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
12	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
13	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
15	sting	sting	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | present · passive |  | Whole onions |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **freeze** | participle | Whole onions *not said here* |  |  | the shop |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **not** **sting** | can | onions *= onion* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The stinging chemicals are made only when the onion is cut

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:t5:o2:1
# text = The stinging chemicals are made only when the onion is cut
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	stinging	sting	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	amod	_	_
3	chemicals	chemical	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	only	only	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
7	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	11	mark	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	onion	onion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sting** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **make** | present · passive |  | the stinging chemicals |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |
| 3 | **cut** | present · passive |  | the onion |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bags soak up all the smell

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:t5:o3:1
# text = Bags soak up all the smell
1	Bags	bag	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	soak	soak	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	6	det:predet	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	smell	smell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **soak up** | present | Bags | all smell |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1 «NP V NP.source»: agent=Agent smell=Source |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Your eyes only see cut onions

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:t5:o4:1
# text = Your eyes only see cut onions
1	Your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	see	see	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	cut	cut	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	onions	onion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | present | Your eyes | cut onions |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer onion=Stimulus |

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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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