--- title: Why might the angels have gone to the shepherds first? — The birth of Jesus · tree and pragmatics description: Why might the angels have gone to the shepherds first? Test 5 of lesson 12 «The birth of Jesus» 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. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/12-the-birth-of-jesus/t5/) [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/) / [The birth of Jesus](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/12-the-birth-of-jesus/) / t5 # Test 5 · The birth of Jesus Why might the angels have gone to the shepherds first? **Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** angels · **What happens:** go This is test 5 of lesson 12 «The birth of Jesus» 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/12-the-birth-of-jesus/#t5). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:religion-ethics:12-the-birth-of-jesus:t5:1 # text = Why might the angels have gone to the shepherds first? 1 Why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 6 advmod _ _ 2 might might AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 6 aux _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 angels angel NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 nsubj _ _ 5 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 aux _ _ 6 gone go VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 7 to to ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 shepherds shepherd NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 obl _ _ 10 first first ADV RB NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 6 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 11 ? ? PUNCT . _ 6 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | might · perfect | the angels | | | | | to the shepherds; first *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to shepherd=Initial\_Location | 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} Shepherds were the richest and most important people nearby ```conllu # sent_id = question:religion-ethics:12-the-birth-of-jesus:t5:o1:1 # text = Shepherds were the richest and most important people nearby 1 Shepherds shepherd NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 nsubj _ _ 2 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 richest rich ADJ JJS Degree=Sup 0 root _ _ 5 and and CCONJ CC _ 8 cc _ _ 6 most most ADV RBS Degree=Sup 7 advmod _ _ 7 important important ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 conj _ _ 9 nearby nearby ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | Shepherds | | | | | nearby, rich *property* | tree rules | ### Option 2 {#o2} The king had ordered them to wait for it ```conllu # sent_id = question:religion-ethics:12-the-birth-of-jesus:t5:o2:1 # text = The king had ordered them to wait for it 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 king king NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 4 ordered order VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 5 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 obj _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 7 wait wait VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 xcomp _ _ 8 for for ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 7 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **order** | past · perfect | the king | | them *= they* | | | | vn order-58.3-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent they=Recipient clause=Topic | | 2 | **wait** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the king *not said here* | | | | | for it | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | ### Option 3 {#o3} Shepherds were the priests of Bethlehem ```conllu # sent_id = question:religion-ethics:12-the-birth-of-jesus:t5:o3:1 # text = Shepherds were the priests of Bethlehem 1 Shepherds shepherd NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 nsubj _ _ 2 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 priests priest NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ 5 of of ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 Bethlehem Bethlehem PROPN NNP Number=Sing 4 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | past | Shepherds | the priests | | | | of Bethlehem | tree rules | ### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4} Good news came first to ordinary, looked-down-on workers ```conllu # sent_id = question:religion-ethics:12-the-birth-of-jesus:t5:o4:1 # text = Good news came first to ordinary, looked-down-on workers 1 Good good ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 amod _ _ 2 news news NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 came come VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 first first ADV RB NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 3 advmod _ _ 5 to to ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 ordinary ordinary ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 7 , , PUNCT , _ 8 punct _ _ 8 looked look VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 9 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 10 down down ADV RB _ 13 case _ SpaceAfter=No 11 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 on on ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 13 workers worker NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **come** | past | Good news | | | ordinary | | first *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to ordinary=Initial\_Location | | 2 | **look** | participle | Good news *not said here* | | | | | down workers | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent down worker=Theme | **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. - ← previous: [The birth of Jesus, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/12-the-birth-of-jesus/t4/) - next →: [The birth of Jesus, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/12-the-birth-of-jesus/t6/) - ↑ back to [The birth of Jesus](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/12-the-birth-of-jesus/)