---
title: "why can't I squash water in the syringe but I can squash air, makes… — Solids, liquids and gases · tree and pragmatics
description: "why can't I squash water in the syringe but I can squash air, makes no sense" Best answer? Test 8 of lesson 4 «Solids, liquids and gases» 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 8 · Solids, liquids and gases

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"why can't I squash water in the syringe but I can squash air, makes no sense" Best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** I · **What happens:** not squash, squash, make · **To what, where:** water, syringe, air, sense · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 of lesson 4 «Solids, liquids and gases» 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/4-solids-liquids-and-gases/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:4-solids-liquids-and-gases:t8:1
# text = "why can't I squash water in the syringe but I can squash air, makes no sense" Best answer?
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
3	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
5	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	squash	squash	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	csubj	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	syringe	syringe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
13	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
14	squash	squash	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
15	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
17	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
18	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	19	det	_	_
19	sense	sense	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	22	punct	_	_
21	Best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	22	amod	_	_
22	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **squash** *in a quote* | can | I | water |  | the syringe |  |  | vn funnel-9.3-1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent water=Theme in syringe=Trajectory |
| 2 | **squash** *in a quote* | can | I | air |  |  |  |  | vn carve-21.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent air=Patient |
| 3 | **make** *in a quote* | present |  | no sense and Best answer |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset sense=Product |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Water's particles are already close, air's are far apart

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:4-solids-liquids-and-gases:t8:o1:1
# text = Water's particles are already close, air's are far apart
1	Water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	particles	particle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	already	already	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	close	close	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	's	's	PART	POS	_	8	case	_	_
10	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	far	far	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	12	advmod	_	_
12	apart	apart	ADV	RB	_	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Water's particles |  |  |  |  | 's air; close *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | apart, far *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is only because the plunger is wet

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:4-solids-liquids-and-gases:t8:o2:1
# text = It is only because the plunger is wet
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
4	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	plunger	plunger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	wet	wet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | wet *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Air is slippery and water is sticky

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:4-solids-liquids-and-gases:t8:o3:1
# text = Air is slippery and water is sticky
1	Air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	slippery	slippery	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
5	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	sticky	sticky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Air |  |  |  |  | slippery *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | water |  |  |  |  | sticky *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Water is heavier than the syringe, so the plunger cannot lift it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:4-solids-liquids-and-gases:t8:o4:1
# text = Water is heavier than the syringe, so the plunger cannot lift it
1	Water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	heavier	heavy	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
4	than	than	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	syringe	syringe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	plunger	plunger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
11	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	lift	lift	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	parataxis	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Water |  |  |  |  | than the syringe; heavy *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **lift** | can | the plunger | Water |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=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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