---
title: Why could people hold a fair on the frozen Thames in the 1600s but n… — Weather, storms and the changing climate · tree and pragmatics
description: Why could people hold a fair on the frozen Thames in the 1600s but not today? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 23 «Weather, storms and the changing climate» 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 5 · ★★ · Weather, storms and the changing climate

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why could people hold a fair on the frozen Thames in the 1600s but not today?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** people · **What happens:** hold, freeze · **To what, where:** fair, frozen Thames

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 23 «Weather, storms and the changing climate» 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/23-weather-storms-and-the-changing-climate/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:23-weather-storms-and-the-changing-climate:t5:1
# text = Why could people hold a fair on the frozen Thames in the 1600s but not today?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	hold	hold	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	fair	fair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	frozen	freeze	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	Thames	Thames	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	1600s	1600	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan|NumForm=Combi|NumType=Card	4	obl	_	_
14	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	_
16	today	today	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | could | people | a fair |  | the frozen Thames |  | in the 1600s but today | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent fair=Theme on thames=Location |
| 2 | **freeze** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

<!-- .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 -->
People then had special ice machines

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:23-weather-storms-and-the-changing-climate:t5:o1:1
# text = People then had special ice machines
1	People	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	advmod	_	_
3	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	special	special	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	ice	ice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	machines	machine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | People | special ice machines |  |  | then |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent machine=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Thames was much deeper back then, and deep water freezes more easily

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:23-weather-storms-and-the-changing-climate:t5:o2:1
# text = The Thames was much deeper back then, and deep water freezes more easily
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Thames	Thames	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	much	much	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	deeper	deep	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
6	back	back	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	freezes	freeze	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
13	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	14	advmod	_	_
14	easily	easily	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the Thames |  |  |  | then | deep *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **freeze** | present | deep water |  |  |  |  | easily *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Winters were colder in the Little Ice Age and the climate has warmed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:23-weather-storms-and-the-changing-climate:t5:o3:1
# text = Winters were colder in the Little Ice Age and the climate has warmed
1	Winters	winter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	colder	cold	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
6	Little	Little	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	Ice	Ice	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	Age	Age	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	climate	climate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
12	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
13	warmed	warm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Winters |  |  |  | in the Little Ice Age | cold *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **warm** | present · perfect · passive |  | the climate |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The river was saltier and froze faster

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:23-weather-storms-and-the-changing-climate:t5:o4:1
# text = The river was saltier and froze faster
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	saltier	salty	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	froze	freeze	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
7	faster	fast	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the river |  |  |  |  | salty *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **freeze** | past | the river *not said here* |  |  |  |  | fast *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

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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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