---
title: In a cartoon a coyote runs off a cliff and only falls when he looks… — Why things fall: the apple and the pul… · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon a coyote runs off a cliff and only falls when he looks down. What is wrong? Test 2 of lesson 1 «Why things fall: the apple and the pull of the Earth» of the physics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice
---

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# Test 2 · Why things fall: the apple and the pull of the Earth

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon a coyote runs off a cliff and only falls when he looks down. What is wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** coyote · **What happens:** run off, fall, look down, be · **To what, where:** cliff, cartoon

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This is test 2 of lesson 1 «Why things fall: the apple and the pull of the Earth» of the physics 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/physics/1-why-things-fall/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon a coyote runs off a cliff and only falls when he looks down.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:1-why-things-fall:t2:1
# text = In a cartoon a coyote runs off a cliff and only falls when he looks down.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	coyote	coyote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	runs	run	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	off	off	ADP	RP	_	6	compound:prt	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	cliff	cliff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	only	only	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	falls	fall	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
13	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	15	mark	_	_
14	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
15	looks	look	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	advcl	_	_
16	down	down	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **run off** | present | a coyote | a cliff |  | a cartoon |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent cliff=Theme in cartoon=Trajectory |
| 2 | **fall** | present | a coyote *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **look down** | present | coyote |  |  |  |  | down *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

<!-- .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 is wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:1-why-things-fall:t2:2
# text = What is wrong?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing, gravity waits until you notice

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:1-why-things-fall:t2:o1:1
# text = Nothing, gravity waits until you notice
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	gravity	gravity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	waits	wait	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	notice	notice	VERB	VBP	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | present | Nothing gravity |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **notice** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cartoons are right; looking down adds weight

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:1-why-things-fall:t2:o2:1
# text = Cartoons are right; looking down adds weight
1	Cartoons	cartoon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	5	punct	_	_
5	looking	look	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	csubj	_	_
6	down	down	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	adds	add	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
8	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Cartoons |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **look down** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **add** *speech: assert* | present | looking | weight |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent weight=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He should float up instead

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:1-why-things-fall:t2:o3:1
# text = He should float up instead
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	float	float	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	instead	instead	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **float up** | should | He |  |  |  |  | instead *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gravity pulls him the moment he leaves the edge

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:1-why-things-fall:t2:o4:1
# text = Gravity pulls him the moment he leaves the edge
1	Gravity	gravity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pulls	pull	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	moment	moment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	leaves	leave	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	edge	edge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pull** | present | Gravity | him *= he* |  |  | moment |  | vn push-12-1 «NP V NP ADJP-Result»: agent=Agent he=Result |
| 2 | **leave** | present | Gravity | the edge |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent edge=Theme |

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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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