--- title: Why is paper better than clay tablets for a long letter? — Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk R… · tree and pragmatics description: Why is paper better than clay tablets for a long letter? Test 9 · ★★ of lesson 10 «Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk Road and Confucius» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius/t9/) [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/) / [History](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/) / [Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk R…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius/) / t9 # Test 9 · ★★ · Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk Road and Confucius Why is paper better than clay tablets for a long letter? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **What happens:** be This is test 9 · ★★ of lesson 10 «Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk Road and Confucius» of the history 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/history/10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius/#t9). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius:t9:1 # text = Why is paper better than clay tablets for a long letter? 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 paper paper NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ _ 4 better good ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 0 root _ _ 5 than than ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 clay clay NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 compound _ _ 7 tablets tablet NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obl _ _ 8 for for ADP IN _ 11 case _ _ 9 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 10 long long ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 amod _ _ 11 letter letter NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 12 ? ? PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | | | | | | than clay tablets for a long letter; good *property* | tree rules | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1} It is light and you can roll or fold it ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius:t9:o1:1 # text = It is light and you can roll or fold it 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|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 light light ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 4 and and CCONJ CC _ 7 cc _ _ 5 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 7 nsubj _ _ 6 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 7 aux _ _ 7 roll roll VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 conj _ _ 8 or or CCONJ CC _ 9 cc _ _ 9 fold fold VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 7 conj _ _ 10 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | It | | | | | light *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **roll** | can | you | | | | | | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 3 | **fold** | infinitive | you *not said here* | it | | | | | vn bend-45.2 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent it=Patient | ### Option 2 {#o2} It cannot get wet, even in heavy rain ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius:t9:o2:1 # text = It cannot get wet, even in heavy rain 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 2 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ SpaceAfter=No 3 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 4 advmod _ _ 4 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 wet wet ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 7 even even ADV RB _ 10 advmod _ _ 8 in in ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 heavy heavy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 10 amod _ _ 10 rain rain NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **get** | can | It | | | heavy rain | | wet *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | ### Option 3 {#o3} It is heavier and so much safer ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius:t9:o3:1 # text = It is heavier and so much safer 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|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 heavier heavy ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 0 root _ _ 4 and and CCONJ CC _ 7 cc _ _ 5 so so ADV RB _ 6 advmod _ _ 6 much much ADV RB _ 7 advmod _ _ 7 safer safe ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 3 conj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | It | | | | | heavy *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **be** | | | | | | | | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} It lasts longer if it falls into a fire ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius:t9:o4:1 # text = It lasts longer if it falls into a fire 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 lasts last VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 longer long ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 2 advmod _ _ 4 if if SCONJ IN _ 6 mark _ _ 5 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 6 nsubj _ _ 6 falls fall VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 2 advcl _ _ 7 into into ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 8 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 fire fire NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **last** | present | It | | | | | long *property* | vn cost-54.2 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **fall** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | it | | | | | into a fire *result* | vn become-109.1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient into fire=Result | **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. - ← previous: [Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk R…, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius/t8/) - next →: [Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk R…, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius/t10/) - ↑ back to [Ancient China: paper, silk, the Silk Road and Confucius](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/10-ancient-china-paper-silk-the-silk-road-and-confucius/)