---
title: Which is true about «mad as a hatter»? — Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which is true about «mad as a hatter»? Test 9 · ★★ of lesson 81 «Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet, pocket watches, shillings and chimney sweeps» 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.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps/t9/)

<!-- 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/) / [Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet,…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps/) / t9

# Test 9 · ★★ · Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet, pocket watches, shi…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which is true about «mad as a hatter»?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **What happens:** be

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★★ of lesson 81 «Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet, pocket watches, shillings and chimney sweeps» 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/81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps:t9:1
# text = Which is true about «mad as a hatter»?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	mad	mad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	obl	_	_
7	as	as	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	hatter	hatter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hat-makers were harmed by mercury fumes, which may have helped the saying

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps:t9:o1:1
# text = Hat-makers were harmed by mercury fumes, which may have helped the saying
1	Hat	hat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	makers	maker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	harmed	harm	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	mercury	mercury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	fumes	fume	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	13	nsubj	_	_
11	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
12	have	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	aux	_	_
13	helped	help	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	8	acl:relcl	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	saying	saying	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **harm** | past · passive | mercury fumes | Hat makers |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus subject=Experiencer |
| 2 | **help** | may · perfect | mercury fumes | the saying |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent saying=Beneficiary |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The saying was made up by Lewis Carroll in 1865 and nobody had ever said it before the book

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps:t9:o2:1
# text = The saying was made up by Lewis Carroll in 1865 and nobody had ever said it before the book
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	saying	saying	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	up	up	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	Lewis	Lewis	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	flat	_	_
8	Carroll	Carroll	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	1865	1865	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	obl	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
12	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	15	nsubj	_	_
13	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
14	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	15	advmod	_	_
15	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	conj	_	_
16	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obj	_	_
17	before	before	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	book	book	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make up** | past · passive | Lewis Carroll | the saying |  | 1865 |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme subject=Pivot |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · perfect | nobody | saying |  |  | before the book; ever |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hatters were mad because their hats were too tight

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps:t9:o3:1
# text = Hatters were mad because their hats were too tight
1	Hatters	hatter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	mad	mad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	hats	hat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
7	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	too	too	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	tight	tight	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Hatters |  |  |  |  | mad *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | past | Hatters's hats |  |  |  |  | tight *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
All Victorian hat-makers were sent to hospital

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps:t9:o4:1
# text = All Victorian hat-makers were sent to hospital
1	All	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	5	det	_	_
2	Victorian	victorian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
3	hat	hat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	makers	maker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	sent	send	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	hospital	hospital	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | past · passive |  | all Victorian hat makers |  | hospital |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: subject=Theme to hospital=Destination |

<!-- 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: [Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet,…, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps/t8/)
- next →: [Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet,…, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps/t10/)
- ↑ back to [Alice's Victorian world: tea, croquet, pocket watches, shillings and chimney sweeps](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/81-alice-s-victorian-world-tea-croquet-pocket-watches-shillings-and-chimney-sweeps/)