---
title: Tom: "The Greeks had a steam toy and didn't make trains? Big L." ("L… — Ideas on the move: numbers, paper, let… · tree and pragmatics
description: Tom: "The Greeks had a steam toy and didn't make trains? Big L." ("L" means loss.) What would they have needed? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 75 «Ideas on the move: numbers, paper, letters, chess and news» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question
---

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# Test 9 · ★ · Ideas on the move: numbers, paper, letters, chess and news

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tom: "The Greeks had a steam toy and didn't make trains? Big L." ("L" means loss.) What would they have needed?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Greeks, L · **What happens:** have, not make, mean, need · **To what, where:** steam toy, trains, Big L.

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 75 «Ideas on the move: numbers, paper, letters, chess and news» 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/75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Tom: "The Greeks had a steam toy and didn't make trains?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:1
# text = Tom: "The Greeks had a steam toy and didn't make trains?
1	Tom	Tom	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Greeks	Greek	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
6	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	toy	toy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
11	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
14	trains	train	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** *in a quote* | past | the Greeks | a steam toy |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent toy=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **make** *in a quote* | past · do-support | the Greeks *not said here* | trains |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset train=Product |

<!-- .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:* Big L." ("L" means loss.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:2
# text = Big L." ("L" means loss.)
1	Big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	L.	L.	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
4	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	L	l	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
8	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	loss	loss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** *in a quote* | present | L | Big L. |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent loss=Topic |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What would they have needed?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:3
# text = What would they have needed?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	have	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux	_	_
5	needed	need	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | would · perfect · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: subject=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only a bigger toy and a few more slaves to turn it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:o1:1
# text = Only a bigger toy and a few more slaves to turn it
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	bigger	big	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	amod	_	_
4	toy	toy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	few	few	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	9	amod	_	_
9	slaves	slave	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	turn	turn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	acl	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **turn** | to-infinitive |  | it |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing, because trains need no steam

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:o2:1
# text = Nothing, because trains need no steam
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	trains	train	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
6	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	7	det	_	_
7	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | trains | no steam |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot steam=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Permission from the Romans

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:o3:1
# text = Permission from the Romans
1	Permission	permission	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	from	from	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	Romans	Roman	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	1	appos	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A use for steam power, metal skills and fuel all together

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:75-ideas-on-the-move-numbers-paper-letters-chess-and-news:t9:o4:1
# text = A use for steam power, metal skills and fuel all together
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	power	power	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	metal	metal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	skills	skill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	fuel	fuel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
11	all	all	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	together	together	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

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

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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.

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