---
title: "trolley problem's stupid, just pull the lever, 5 is more than 1 duh… — Lifeboat choices · tree and pragmatics
description: "trolley problem's stupid, just pull the lever, 5 is more than 1 duh." What is weak about this? Test 3 · ★★ of lesson 48 «Lifeboat choices» 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 wrong.
---

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# Test 3 · ★★ · Lifeboat choices

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"trolley problem's stupid, just pull the lever, 5 is more than 1 duh." What is weak about this?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** pull, be · **To what, where:** lever

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★★ of lesson 48 «Lifeboat choices» 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/48-lifeboat-choices/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* "trolley problem's stupid, just pull the lever, 5 is more than 1 duh."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:48-lifeboat-choices:t3:1
# text = "trolley problem's stupid, just pull the lever, 5 is more than 1 duh."
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	trolley	trolley	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	stupid	stupid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	pull	pull	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	lever	lever	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	5	5	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	14	nummod	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	obj	_	_
15	than	than	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	1	1	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	14	obl	_	_
17	duh	duh	INTJ	UH	_	8	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pull** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | the lever |  |  |  |  | vn push-12-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lever=Theme |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present |  |  |  |  |  | than 1; more *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 is weak about this?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:48-lifeboat-choices:t3:2
# text = What is weak about this?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	weak	weak	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	this	this	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 |  |  |  |  |  | about this; weak *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is too long and careful

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:48-lifeboat-choices:t3:o1:1
# text = It is too long and careful
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	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | long *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing; counting is always the full answer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:48-lifeboat-choices:t3:o2:1
# text = Nothing; counting is always the full answer
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	1	punct	_	_
3	counting	counting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	8	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Nothing counting | the full answer |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It uses too much maths for an ethics question

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:48-lifeboat-choices:t3:o3:1
# text = It uses too much maths for an ethics question
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	uses	use	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	much	much	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	maths	math	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	ethics	ethics	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	question	question	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | It | much maths |  |  |  | for a ethics question | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP PP.predicate»: agent=Agent math=Theme for question=Eventuality |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It ignores the other side: some think doing harm is different from allowing it

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:48-lifeboat-choices:t3:o4:1
# text = It ignores the other side: some think doing harm is different from allowing it
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	ignores	ignore	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	side	side	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	nsubj	_	_
8	think	think	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
9	doing	do	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	12	csubj	_	_
10	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	different	different	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	ccomp	_	_
13	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
14	allowing	allow	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	advcl	_	_
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 | **ignore** | present | It | the other side |  |  |  |  | vn neglect-75.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent side=Theme |
| 2 | **think** *speech: other* | present | some |  |  |  |  |  | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **do** | gerund |  | harm |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent harm=Eventuality |
| 4 | **is** | present | doing |  |  |  |  | different *property* | tree rules |
| 5 | **allow** | gerund | doing *not said here* | harm |  |  |  |  | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Beneficiary |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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- next →: [Lifeboat choices, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/48-lifeboat-choices/t4/)
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