---
title: Why do we usually see an object best when a lamp is behind us shinin… — Light and shadows · tree and pragmatics
description: Why do we usually see an object best when a lamp is behind us shining onto it? Test 10 of lesson 20 «Light and shadows» 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 was right.
---

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# Test 10 · Light and shadows

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why do we usually see an object best when a lamp is behind us shining onto it?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** we, lamp · **What happens:** see, shine · **To what, where:** object

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 10 of lesson 20 «Light and shadows» 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/20-light-and-shadows/#t10).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:20-light-and-shadows:t10:1
# text = Why do we usually see an object best when a lamp is behind us shining onto it?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	usually	usually	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	see	see	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	object	object	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	best	well	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
9	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	15	advmod	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	lamp	lamp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
13	behind	behind	ADP	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
14	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
15	shining	shine	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
16	onto	onto	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | present · do-support | we | a object |  |  |  | usually *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer object=Stimulus |
| 2 | **shine** | present · progressive | a lamp |  |  | object |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V»: agent=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The light pushes the object a little nearer to us

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:20-light-and-shadows:t10:o1:1
# text = The light pushes the object a little nearer to us
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	pushes	push	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	object	object	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	obl	_	_
8	nearer	near	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	advcl	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **push** | present | the light | the object | us |  |  |  | vn funnel-9.3-1-1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent object=Theme to we=Trajectory |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
More light bounces off it into our eyes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:20-light-and-shadows:t10:o2:1
# text = More light bounces off it into our eyes
1	More	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	amod	_	_
2	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	bounces	bounce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	off	off	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	_
6	into	into	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bounce off** | present | More light | it |  | our eyes |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent it=Theme into eye=Trajectory |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The lamp heats it up so that it glows by itself

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:20-light-and-shadows:t10:o3:1
# text = The lamp heats it up so that it glows by itself
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	lamp	lamp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	heats	heat	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
6	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	9	mark	_	_
7	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	glows	glow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **heat up** | present | the lamp | it |  |  |  |  | vn cooking-45.3 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent it=Patient |
| 2 | **glow** | present | lamp |  |  |  |  | by lamp | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme by itself=Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The lamp makes the pupils of our eyes much bigger

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:20-light-and-shadows:t10:o4:1
# text = The lamp makes the pupils of our eyes much bigger
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	lamp	lamp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	pupils	pupil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
9	much	much	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	bigger	big	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | the lamp | the pupils of our eyes |  |  |  | big *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset pupil=Product |

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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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