---
title: A boy chews gum as the plane descends. Why does this help? — Airports and planes · tree and pragmatics
description: A boy chews gum as the plane descends. Why does this help? Test 4 · ★ of lesson 271 «Airports and planes» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/271-airports-and-planes/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/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/) / [Airports and planes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/271-airports-and-planes/) / t4

# Test 4 · ★ · Airports and planes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A boy chews gum as the plane descends. Why does this help?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** boy, plane, this · **What happens:** chew, descend, help · **To what, where:** gum

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★ of lesson 271 «Airports and planes» of the everyday 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/everyday/271-airports-and-planes/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A boy chews gum as the plane descends.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:271-airports-and-planes:t4:1
# text = A boy chews gum as the plane descends.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	chews	chew	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	gum	gum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	plane	plane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	descends	descend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **chew** | present | a boy | gum |  |  |  |  | vn chew-39.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gum=Patient |
| 2 | **descend** | present | the plane |  |  |  |  |  | vn meander-47.7-1 «NP V»: agent=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:* Why does this help?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:271-airports-and-planes:t4:2
# text = Why does this help?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	this	this	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
4	help	help	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present · do-support | this |  |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It makes the plane land more gently

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:271-airports-and-planes:t4:o1:1
# text = It makes the plane land more gently
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	plane	plane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	land	land	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	7	advmod	_	_
7	gently	gently	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | It | the plane land |  |  |  | gently *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.material V NP»: agent=Material land=Product |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It keeps him from feeling hungry until the plane has landed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:271-airports-and-planes:t4:o2:1
# text = It keeps him from feeling hungry until the plane has landed
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	keeps	keep	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	feeling	feel	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
6	hungry	hungry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
7	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	plane	plane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
10	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	landed	land	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | present | It | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Theme |
| 2 | **feel** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | hungry *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **land** | present · perfect | the plane |  |  |  |  |  | vn pocket-9.10-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It helps the pressure in his ears even out

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:271-airports-and-planes:t4:o3:1
# text = It helps the pressure in his ears even out
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	helps	help	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	pressure	pressure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
8	even	even	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	out	out	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | It | the pressure |  | his ears |  | out *property* | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pressure=Beneficiary |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It stops his ears hearing the engine

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:271-airports-and-planes:t4:o4:1
# text = It stops his ears hearing the engine
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	stops	stop	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	hearing	hear	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	engine	engine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | present | It | his ears |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **hear** | gerund |  | the engine |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer engine=Stimulus |

<!-- 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: [Airports and planes, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/271-airports-and-planes/t3/)
- next →: [Airports and planes, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/271-airports-and-planes/t5/)
- ↑ back to [Airports and planes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/271-airports-and-planes/)