---
title: A cartoon on telly shows a mayor deciding everything alone by flippi… — What politics is: deciding things toge… · tree and pragmatics
description: A cartoon on telly shows a mayor deciding everything alone by flipping a coin. What's wrong with this picture of politics? Test 9 of lesson 1 «What politics is: deciding things together» of the politics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of e
---

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# Test 9 · What politics is: deciding things together

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cartoon on telly shows a mayor deciding everything alone by flipping a coin. What's wrong with this picture of politics?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** cartoon, mayor · **What happens:** show, decide, flip, be · **To what, where:** mayor, everything, coin

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 of lesson 1 «What politics is: deciding things together» of the politics 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/politics/1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A cartoon on telly shows a mayor deciding everything alone by flipping a coin.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together:t9:1
# text = A cartoon on telly shows a mayor deciding everything alone by flipping a coin.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	telly	telly	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	mayor	mayor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	deciding	decide	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	everything	everything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	8	obj	_	_
10	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
11	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
12	flipping	flip	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	advcl	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	coin	coin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | a cartoon on telly | a mayor |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent mayor=Recipient |
| 2 | **decide** | gerund | a mayor *not said here* | everything |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent everything=Topic |
| 3 | **flip** | gerund | a mayor *not said here* | a coin |  |  |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent coin=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What's wrong with this picture of politics?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together:t9:2
# text = What's wrong with this picture of politics?
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	_	6	case	_	_
5	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	6	det	_	_
6	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	politics	politics	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Coins can only be flipped by the king

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together:t9:o1:1
# text = Coins can only be flipped by the king
1	Coins	coin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	flipped	flip	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **flip** | can · passive | the king | Coins |  |  |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mayors are not allowed to own coins

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together:t9:o2:1
# text = Mayors are not allowed to own coins
1	Mayors	mayor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	allowed	allow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	own	own	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	coins	coin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **allow** | present · passive |  | Mayors |  |  |  |  | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP S»: subject=Beneficiary clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **own** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | Mayors *not said here* | coins |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot coin=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing, real mayors always flip a coin

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together:t9:o3:1
# text = Nothing, real mayors always flip a coin
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	mayors	mayor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	6	advmod	_	_
6	flip	flip	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	coin	coin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **flip** | present | Nothing | a coin |  |  |  | always *property* | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent coin=Theme |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real decisions involve people giving reasons, arguing and often voting

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:1-what-politics-is-deciding-things-together:t9:o4:1
# text = Real decisions involve people giving reasons, arguing and often voting
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	decisions	decision	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	involve	involve	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	giving	give	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
6	reasons	reason	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	arguing	argue	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	conj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	often	often	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	voting	vote	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **involve** | present | Real decisions | people |  |  |  |  | vn involve-107.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent people=Theme |
| 2 | **give** | gerund | people *not said here* | reasons |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 3 | **argue** *speech: disagree* | gerund | people *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **vote** | gerund | people *not said here* |  |  |  |  | often *property* | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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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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