---
title: A sign is shaped like a bird but stands for a sound. Is that possibl… — Ancient Egypt: pyramids, mummies and h… · tree and pragmatics
description: A sign is shaped like a bird but stands for a sound. Is that possible in hieroglyphs? Test 6 · ★★ of lesson 6 «Ancient Egypt: pyramids, mummies and hieroglyphs» 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 w
---

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# Test 6 · ★★ · Ancient Egypt: pyramids, mummies and hieroglyphs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A sign is shaped like a bird but stands for a sound. Is that possible in hieroglyphs?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** that · **What happens:** shape, stand, be · **To what, where:** sign, hieroglyphs

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 · ★★ of lesson 6 «Ancient Egypt: pyramids, mummies and hieroglyphs» 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/6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs/#t6).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A sign is shaped like a bird but stands for a sound.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs:t6:1
# text = A sign is shaped like a bird but stands for a sound.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	shaped	shape	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	like	like	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	stands	stand	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shape** | present · passive |  | a sign |  |  |  | like a bird | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |
| 2 | **stand** | present |  |  |  |  |  | for a sound | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer for sound=Attribute |

<!-- .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:* Is that possible in hieroglyphs?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs:t6:2
# text = Is that possible in hieroglyphs?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	nsubj	_	_
3	possible	possible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	hieroglyphs	hieroglyph	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | that |  |  | hieroglyphs |  | possible *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, but only on Tuesdays

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs:t6:o1:1
# text = Yes, but only on Tuesdays
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Tuesdays	Tuesday	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, every sign was just a picture of a thing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs:t6:o2:1
# text = No, every sign was just a picture of a thing
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	8	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	det	_	_
4	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | every sign | a picture |  |  |  | of a thing | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, hieroglyphs had no birds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs:t6:o3:1
# text = No, hieroglyphs had no birds
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	3	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	hieroglyphs	hieroglyph	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	6	det	_	_
6	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | hieroglyphs | no birds |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bird=Patient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, many signs stood for sounds like letters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:6-ancient-egypt-pyramids-mummies-and-hieroglyphs:t6:o4:1
# text = Yes, many signs stood for sounds like letters
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	signs	sign	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	stood	stand	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	sounds	sound	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stand** | past | many signs |  |  |  |  | for sounds like letters | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer for sound=Attribute |

<!-- 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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