---
title: Finn asks, "Why don't they just use a computer?" Which is the best a… — Elections and voting: ballots, countin… · tree and pragmatics
description: Finn asks, "Why don't they just use a computer?" Which is the best answer? Test 3 of lesson 2 «Elections and voting: ballots, counting and winning» of the politics 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 3 · Elections and voting: ballots, counting and winning

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Finn asks, "Why don't they just use a computer?" Which is the best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Finn, they · **What happens:** ask, not use, be · **To what, where:** computer, best answer · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 2 «Elections and voting: ballots, counting and winning» 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/2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Finn asks, "Why don't they just use a computer?"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning:t3:1
# text = Finn asks, "Why don't they just use a computer?"
1	Finn	Finn	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
6	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	just	just	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	use	use	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	parataxis	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	computer	computer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | Finn |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **use** *in a quote* | present · do-support | they | a computer |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent computer=Patient |

<!-- .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:* Which is the best answer?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning:t3:2
# text = Which is the best answer?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hand counting is slow, but anyone can watch it and trust it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning:t3:o1:1
# text = Hand counting is slow, but anyone can watch it and trust it
1	Hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	counting	counting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	slow	slow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	9	nsubj	_	_
8	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	watch	watch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	parataxis	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	trust	trust	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Hand counting |  |  |  |  | slow *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **watch** | can | anyone | counting |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 3 | **trust** | infinitive | anyone *not said here* | counting |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Computers are banned from every building in the UK

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning:t3:o2:1
# text = Computers are banned from every building in the UK
1	Computers	computer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	banned	ban	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
6	building	building	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	UK	UK	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ban** | present · passive |  | Computers |  | every building in the UK |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: subject=Beneficiary from building=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hand counting is actually faster than any computer could ever be

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning:t3:o3:1
# text = Hand counting is actually faster than any computer could ever be
1	Hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	counting	counting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	actually	actually	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	faster	fast	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	2	conj	_	_
6	than	than	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	computer	computer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
10	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	11	advmod	_	_
11	be	be	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Hand counting *not said here* |  |  |  |  | than any computer; actually, fast *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **can** | could | Hand counting |  |  |  | ever |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Computers are only used to count votes for kids

```conllu
# sent_id = question:politics:2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning:t3:o4:1
# text = Computers are only used to count votes for kids
1	Computers	computer	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	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	count	count	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
7	votes	vote	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	kids	kid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present · passive |  | Computers |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **count** | to-infinitive |  | votes |  |  |  | for kids | vn multiply-108 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vote=Theme |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ↑ back to [Elections and voting: ballots, counting and winning](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/politics/2-elections-and-voting-ballots-counting-and-winning/)