---
title: A classmate who does not believe in God asks why Christians read Psa… — Psalms and Proverbs · tree and pragmatics
description: A classmate who does not believe in God asks why Christians read Psalm 23 at funerals. Best answer? Test 3 of lesson 11 «Psalms and Proverbs» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/11-psalms-and-proverbs/t3/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Religion ethics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/) / [Psalms and Proverbs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/11-psalms-and-proverbs/) / t3

# Test 3 · Psalms and Proverbs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A classmate who does not believe in God asks why Christians read Psalm 23 at funerals. Best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** classmate, Christians · **What happens:** not believe, ask, read · **To what, where:** Psalm, funerals · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 11 «Psalms and Proverbs» of the religion ethics 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/religion-ethics/11-psalms-and-proverbs/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A classmate who does not believe in God asks why Christians read Psalm 23 at funerals.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:11-psalms-and-proverbs:t3:1
# text = A classmate who does not believe in God asks why Christians read Psalm 23 at funerals.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	classmate	classmate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
4	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	believe	believe	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl:relcl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	God	God	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
9	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	12	advmod	_	_
11	Christians	Christian	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
12	read	read	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	ccomp	_	_
13	Psalm	Psalm	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
14	23	23	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	13	flat	_	_
15	at	at	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	funerals	funeral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **believe** | present · do-support | a classmate |  |  |  |  | in God | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | a classmate |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **read** | past | Christians | Psalm |  | funerals |  |  | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP PP.value»: agent=Agent psalm=Theme at funeral=Value |

<!-- .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:* Best answer?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:11-psalms-and-proverbs:t3:2
# text = Best answer?
1	Best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	2	amod	_	_
2	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is a rule in the Bible that every single funeral has to use it

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:11-psalms-and-proverbs:t3:o1:1
# text = It is a rule in the Bible that every single funeral has to use it
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	Bible	Bible	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obj	_	_
9	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	11	det	_	_
10	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	funeral	funeral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	use	use	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	xcomp	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a rule |  | the Bible |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | present | every single funeral | that |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **use** | to-infinitive | that *not said here* | funeral |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It comforts them that God stays with them in the darkest times

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:11-psalms-and-proverbs:t3:o2:1
# text = It comforts them that God stays with them in the darkest times
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	comforts	comfort	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
5	God	God	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	stays	stay	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obl	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	darkest	dark	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	12	amod	_	_
12	times	time	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **comfort** | present | It | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus they=Experiencer |
| 2 | **stay** | present | God |  |  |  | time | with them *= they* | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme with they=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It explains exactly what heaven looks like

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:11-psalms-and-proverbs:t3:o3:1
# text = It explains exactly what heaven looks like
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	explains	explain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	obj	_	_
5	heaven	heaven	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	looks	look	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
7	like	like	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **look** | present | heaven |  |  |  |  |  | vn seem-109-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme what=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is the only psalm people still know

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:11-psalms-and-proverbs:t3:o4:1
# text = It is the only psalm people still know
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	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	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	psalm	psalm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	still	still	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	know	know	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | the only psalm |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **know** | present | people | the only psalm *not said here* |  |  | still |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer psalm=Stimulus |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Psalms and Proverbs, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/11-psalms-and-proverbs/t2/)
- next →: [Psalms and Proverbs, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/11-psalms-and-proverbs/t4/)
- ↑ back to [Psalms and Proverbs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/11-psalms-and-proverbs/)