---
title: Mia says canals are «a modern thing, like from the 1900s». What woul… — Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts · tree and pragmatics
description: Mia says canals are «a modern thing, like from the 1900s». What would you tell her? Test 3 · ★★★ of lesson 20 «Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts» of the geography 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 3 · ★★★ · Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mia says canals are «a modern thing, like from the 1900s». What would you tell her?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Mia, canals, you · **What happens:** say, be, tell · **To what, where:** modern thing, Mia · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★★★ of lesson 20 «Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts» of the geography 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/geography/20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Mia says canals are «a modern thing, like from the 1900s».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts:t3:1
# text = Mia says canals are «a modern thing, like from the 1900s».
1	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	canals	canal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	modern	modern	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	like	like	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	1900s	1900	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan|NumForm=Combi|NumType=Card	8	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Mia |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | canals | a modern thing |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 would you tell her?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts:t3:2
# text = What would you tell her?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	her	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	iobj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | would | you |  | Mia |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent she=Recipient what=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only the Romans ever dug canals, and nobody since

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts:t3:o1:1
# text = Only the Romans ever dug canals, and nobody since
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	Romans	Roman	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	5	advmod	_	_
5	dug	dig	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	amod	_	_
6	canals	canal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	conj	_	_
10	since	since	ADP	IN	_	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dig** | participle |  |  |  |  | ever |  | vn create-26.4-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Parts of China's Grand Canal are over 2,000 years old

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts:t3:o2:1
# text = Parts of China's Grand Canal are over 2,000 years old
1	Parts	part	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
3	China	China	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	Grand	Grand	PROPN	NNP	_	6	compound	_	_
6	Canal	Canal	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
8	over	over	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	2,000	2000	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl:unmarked	_	_
11	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Parts of China's Grand Canal |  |  |  | year | old *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Canals were first dug in the 1800s, when steam engines came in

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts:t3:o3:1
# text = Canals were first dug in the 1800s, when steam engines came in
1	Canals	canal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	first	first	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	4	advmod	_	_
4	dug	dig	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	1800s	1800	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan|NumForm=Combi|NumType=Card	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	12	mark	_	_
10	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	engines	engine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
12	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
13	in	in	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dig** | past · passive |  | Canals |  | the 1800s |  | first *property* | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP PP.location»: subject=Theme in 1800=Location |
| 2 | **come in** | past | steam engines |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She is right, the first canal ever dug was at Panama

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts:t3:o4:1
# text = She is right, the first canal ever dug was at Panama
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	7	amod	_	_
7	canal	canal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
8	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	9	advmod	_	_
9	dug	dig	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	Panama	Panama	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | She |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **dig** | participle |  | the first canal *not said here* |  |  | ever |  | vn create-26.4-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | past | the first canal |  |  | Panama |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ← previous: [Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts/t2/)
- next →: [Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts/t4/)
- ↑ back to [Canals: Suez, Panama and the shortcuts](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/20-canals-suez-panama-and-the-shortcuts/)