---
title: Mate says they're Arabic numerals so the Arabs invented 'em. Fair? — Ancient India: Ashoka, zero and our nu… · tree and pragmatics
description: Mate says they're Arabic numerals so the Arabs invented 'em. Fair? Test 1 · ★★★ of lesson 8 «Ancient India: Ashoka, zero and our numbers» 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.
---

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# Test 1 · ★★★ · Ancient India: Ashoka, zero and our numbers

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mate says they're Arabic numerals so the Arabs invented 'em. Fair?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Mate, they, Arabs · **What happens:** say, be, invent · **To what, where:** Arabic numerals, 'em · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 · ★★★ of lesson 8 «Ancient India: Ashoka, zero and our numbers» 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/8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Mate says they're Arabic numerals so the Arabs invented 'em.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers:t1:1
# text = Mate says they're Arabic numerals so the Arabs invented 'em.
1	Mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	Arabic	arabic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	numerals	numeral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	ccomp	_	_
7	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Arabs	Arab	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	invented	invent	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
11	'em	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Mate |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** | present | they | Arabic numerals |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **invent** | past | the Arabs | 'em *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Result |

<!-- .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:* Fair?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers:t1:2
# text = Fair?
1	Fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, the Romans invented them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers:t1:o1:1
# text = No, the Romans invented them
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	Romans	Roman	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	invented	invent	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **invent** | past | the Romans | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Result |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, and India copied them from the Arabs much later on

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers:t1:o2:1
# text = Yes, and India copied them from the Arabs much later on
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
4	India	India	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	copied	copy	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Arabs	Arab	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
10	much	much	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	later	late	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **copy** | past | India | them *= they* |  | the Arabs |  | late *property* | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, they began in Arabia

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers:t1:o3:1
# text = Yes, they began in Arabia
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	began	begin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Arabia	Arabia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **begin** | past | they |  |  | Arabia |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, they began in India and Arabs passed them on

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:8-ancient-india-ashoka-zero-and-our-numbers:t1:o4:1
# text = No, they began in India and Arabs passed them on
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	began	begin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	India	India	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	Arabs	Arab	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	passed	pass	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **begin** | past | they |  |  | India |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 2 | **pass** | past | Arabs | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-3 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme they=Trajectory |

<!-- 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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