---
title: Why is it smart to wonder «what might be going on for them?» when so… — Thinking cleverly about people · tree and pragmatics
description: Why is it smart to wonder «what might be going on for them?» when someone acts strangely? Test 8 · ★★★ of lesson 60 «Thinking cleverly about people» 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.
---

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# Test 8 · ★★★ · Thinking cleverly about people

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why is it smart to wonder «what might be going on for them?» when someone acts strangely?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** someone · **What happens:** be, wonder, go on, act · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is test 8 · ★★★ of lesson 60 «Thinking cleverly about people» 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/60-reasoning-about-people/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:60-reasoning-about-people:t8:1
# text = Why is it smart to wonder «what might be going on for them?» when someone acts strangely?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	expl	_	_
4	smart	smart	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	wonder	wonder	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
7	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	11	nsubj	_	_
9	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	aux	_	_
11	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	ccomp	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
17	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	19	mark	_	_
18	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	19	nsubj	_	_
19	acts	act	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	_
20	strangely	strangely	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | smart *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **wonder** *speech: ask* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn care-88.1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 3 | **go on** *in a quote* | might · progressive |  |  |  |  |  | for them *= they* | vn function-105.2.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **act** | present | someone |  |  |  |  | strangely *property* | vn act-114-1-1 «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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It means you always forgive everything

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:60-reasoning-about-people:t8:o1:1
# text = It means you always forgive everything
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	5	advmod	_	_
5	forgive	forgive	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	everything	everything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **forgive** | present | you | everything |  |  |  | always *property* | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent everything=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It helps you respond calmly instead of making things worse

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:60-reasoning-about-people:t8:o2:1
# text = It helps you respond calmly instead of making things worse
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	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	respond	respond	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	calmly	calmly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	instead	instead	ADV	RB	ExtPos=SCONJ	8	mark	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	making	make	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
9	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
10	worse	bad	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | It | you |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent you=Beneficiary clause=Theme |
| 2 | **respond** *speech: other* | infinitive | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | calmly *property* | vn respond-113 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **make** | gerund | you *not said here* | things |  |  |  | bad *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset thing=Product |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It proves that they are always right

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:60-reasoning-about-people:t8:o3:1
# text = It proves that they are always right
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	proves	prove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
7	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prove** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | they |  |  |  |  | always, right *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It helps you find a clever way to get back at them later

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:60-reasoning-about-people:t8:o4:1
# text = It helps you find a clever way to get back at them later
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	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	acl	_	_
10	back	back	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
11	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obl	_	_
13	later	late	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | It | you |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent you=Beneficiary clause=Theme |
| 2 | **find** | infinitive | you *not said here* | a clever way |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent way=Topic |
| 3 | **get back** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | a clever way *not said here* |  |  |  | at them *= they*; late *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |

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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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