---
title: In a cartoon, a robot fixes a frayed cable by wrapping it in tin foi… — Batteries, circuits and how electricit… · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon, a robot fixes a frayed cable by wrapping it in tin foil. What's wrong with that? Test 3 of lesson 27 «Batteries, circuits and how electricity flows» 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 3 · Batteries, circuits and how electricity flows

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon, a robot fixes a frayed cable by wrapping it in tin foil. What's wrong with that?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** robot · **What happens:** fix, fray, wrap, be · **To what, where:** frayed cable, cartoon, cable, tin foil

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 27 «Batteries, circuits and how electricity flows» 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/27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon, a robot fixes a frayed cable by wrapping it in tin foil.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows:t3:1
# text = In a cartoon, a robot fixes a frayed cable by wrapping it in tin foil.
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	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	robot	robot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	fixes	fix	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	frayed	fray	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	cable	cable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
11	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
12	wrapping	wrap	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	tin	tin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	foil	foil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fix** | present | a robot | a frayed cable |  | a cartoon |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent cable=Patient |
| 2 | **fray** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **wrap** | gerund | a robot *not said here* | cable |  | tin foil |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent it=Theme in foil=Destination |

<!-- .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's wrong with that?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows:t3:2
# text = What's wrong with that?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Foil is metal and carries electricity, so it does not insulate

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows:t3:o1:1
# text = Foil is metal and carries electricity, so it does not insulate
1	Foil	foil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	metal	metal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
5	carries	carry	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
10	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	insulate	insulate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | Foil metal |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **carry** | present | Foil metal | electricity |  |  |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent electricity=Theme |
| 3 | **not** **insulate** | present · do-support | metal |  |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Foil is too shiny to touch electricity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows:t3:o2:1
# text = Foil is too shiny to touch electricity
1	Foil	foil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	shiny	shiny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	touch	touch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	csubj	_	_
7	electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Foil |  |  |  |  | shiny *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **touch** | to-infinitive |  | electricity |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme electricity=Co-Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Foil makes the electricity colder and slower

```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows:t3:o3:1
# text = Foil makes the electricity colder and slower
1	Foil	foil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	colder	cold	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	slower	slow	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	conj	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing, tin foil is the very best way to cover up a broken wire

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:physics:27-batteries-circuits-and-how-electricity-flows:t3:o4:1
# text = Nothing, tin foil is the very best way to cover up a broken wire
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	tin	tin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	foil	foil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	very	very	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	9	amod	_	_
9	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	cover	cover	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	acl	_	_
12	up	up	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	15	amod	_	_
15	wire	wire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Nothing | the best way |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **cover up** | to-infinitive |  | a broken wire |  |  |  |  | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme wire=Destination |
| 3 | **break** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

<!-- 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.

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