---
title: Kai's friend says everyone copied farming from Mesopotamia. What wou… — How we got here: the big steps on one… · tree and pragmatics
description: Kai's friend says everyone copied farming from Mesopotamia. What would Kai say? Test 8 of lesson 61 «How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline» 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 wron
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/t8/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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/) / [How we got here: the big steps on one…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/) / t8

# Test 8 · How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Kai's friend says everyone copied farming from Mesopotamia. What would Kai say?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** friend, everyone, Kai · **What happens:** say, copy · **To what, where:** farming, Mesopotamia · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 of lesson 61 «How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline» 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/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/#t8).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Kai's friend says everyone copied farming from Mesopotamia.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t8:1
# text = Kai's friend says everyone copied farming from Mesopotamia.
1	Kai	Kai	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	6	nsubj	_	_
6	copied	copy	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
7	farming	farming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	Mesopotamia	Mesopotamia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Kai's friend |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **copy** | past | everyone | farming |  | Mesopotamia |  |  | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent farming=Theme |

<!-- .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 Kai say?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t8:2
# text = What would Kai say?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	Kai	Kai	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | would | Kai |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Correct, nobody else on Earth ever thought of planting seeds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t8:o1:1
# text = Correct, nobody else on Earth ever thought of planting seeds
1	Correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	8	nsubj	_	_
4	else	else	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	8	advmod	_	_
8	thought	think	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	planting	planting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	seeds	seed	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **think** *speech: other* | past | nobody |  |  |  | ever | of planting seeds | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nah, everyone copied farming from the Romans, not Mesopotamia

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t8:o2:1
# text = Nah, everyone copied farming from the Romans, not Mesopotamia
1	Nah	nah	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	4	nsubj	_	_
4	copied	copy	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	farming	farm	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	xcomp	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	Romans	Roman	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	Mesopotamia	Mesopotamia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **copy** | past | everyone | Mesopotamia |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **farm** | gerund | everyone *not said here* |  |  | the Romans |  |  | vn rear-26.2.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nah, at least half a dozen peoples started farming on their own

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t8:o3:1
# text = Nah, at least half a dozen peoples started farming on their own
1	Nah	nah	INTJ	UH	_	9	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	least	least	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	7	nmod	_	_
5	half	half	DET	PDT	NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac|PronType=Ind	7	det:predet	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	dozen	dozen	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	peoples	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	started	start	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	farming	farm	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	xcomp	_	_
11	on	on	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **start** | past | dozen peoples |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **farm** | gerund | dozen peoples *not said here* |  |  | peoples's own |  |  | vn rear-26.2.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nah, farming came first from Australia and spread from there

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t8:o4:1
# text = Nah, farming came first from Australia and spread from there
1	Nah	nah	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	farming	farming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	first	first	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	4	advmod	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	spread	spread	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
10	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | farming |  |  | Australia |  | first *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from australia=Initial\_Location |
| 2 | **spread** | past | farming *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [How we got here: the big steps on one…, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/t7/)
- next →: [How we got here: the big steps on one…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/t9/)
- ↑ back to [How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/)