---
title: A detective cartoon says "every black pen has the same ink, so we ca… — Separating mixtures · tree and pragmatics
description: A detective cartoon says "every black pen has the same ink, so we can't tell which wrote the note." What's wrong? Test 4 of lesson 8 «Separating mixtures» 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 r
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/8-separating-mixtures/t4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Chemistry](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/) / [Separating mixtures](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/8-separating-mixtures/) / t4

# Test 4 · Separating mixtures

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A detective cartoon says "every black pen has the same ink, so we can't tell which wrote the note." What's wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** detective cartoon, black pen, we · **What happens:** say, have, not tell, write, be · **To what, where:** same ink, note · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 of lesson 8 «Separating mixtures» 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/8-separating-mixtures/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A detective cartoon says "every black pen has the same ink, so we can't tell which wrote the note."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:8-separating-mixtures:t4:1
# text = A detective cartoon says "every black pen has the same ink, so we can't tell which wrote the note."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	detective	detective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
7	black	black	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	pen	pen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	ink	ink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
14	so	so	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
15	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	18	nsubj	_	_
16	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	18	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	18	advmod	_	_
18	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	parataxis	_	_
19	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	20	nsubj	_	_
20	wrote	write	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	18	ccomp	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	note	note	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a detective cartoon |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** *in a quote* | present | every black pen | the same ink |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ink=Patient |
| 3 | **not** **tell** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | can | we |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 4 | **write** *in a quote* | past |  | the note |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent note=Theme |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What's wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:8-separating-mixtures:t4:2
# text = What's wrong?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pens can only be told apart by their smell

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:8-separating-mixtures:t4:o1:1
# text = Pens can only be told apart by their smell
1	Pens	pen	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	told	tell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	apart	apart	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	smell	smell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell apart** *speech: assert* | can · passive | Pens's smell | Pens |  |  |  | apart *property* | vn distinguish-23.5 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **smell** |  | Pens *= pen* |  |  |  |  |  | nom smell «cognition intransitive»: poss=agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Chromatography can show which colours are in each pen's ink

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:8-separating-mixtures:t4:o2:1
# text = Chromatography can show which colours are in each pen's ink
1	Chromatography	chromatography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	5	det	_	_
5	colours	colour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
6	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	pen	pen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	ink	ink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | can | Chromatography |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | which colours |  |  | each pen's ink |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing, because every black ink in the world is exactly the same

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:8-separating-mixtures:t4:o3:1
# text = Nothing, because every black ink in the world is exactly the same
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
3	because	because	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	6	case	_	_
4	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
5	black	black	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	ink	ink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	world	world	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
11	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Nothing |  |  |  |  | exactly, same *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ink can only be tested with fire

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:8-separating-mixtures:t4:o4:1
# text = Ink can only be tested with fire
1	Ink	ink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	tested	test	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **test** | can · passive |  | Ink |  |  |  | with fire | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Separating mixtures, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/8-separating-mixtures/t3/)
- next →: [Separating mixtures, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/8-separating-mixtures/t5/)
- ↑ back to [Separating mixtures](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/8-separating-mixtures/)