---
title: At the gate, kids say, «He was messing on the tracks, everyone knows… — Accidents, wars and deaths on the news · tree and pragmatics
description: At the gate, kids say, «He was messing on the tracks, everyone knows.» What is the wise move? Test 9 · ★★ of lesson 60 «Accidents, wars and deaths on the news» 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 c
---

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# Test 9 · ★★ · Accidents, wars and deaths on the news

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
At the gate, kids say, «He was messing on the tracks, everyone knows.» What is the wise move?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** kids, He, everyone, wise move · **What happens:** say, mess, know, be · **To what, where:** gate, tracks · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★★ of lesson 60 «Accidents, wars and deaths on the news» 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/60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* At the gate, kids say, «He was messing on the tracks, everyone knows.»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news:t9:1
# text = At the gate, kids say, «He was messing on the tracks, everyone knows.»
1	At	at	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	gate	gate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	kids	kid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
6	say	say	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	messing	mess	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	ccomp	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	tracks	track	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
16	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	17	nsubj	_	_
17	knows	know	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | kids |  |  | the gate |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **mess** *in a quote* | past · progressive | He |  |  | the tracks |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **know** *in a quote* | present | everyone |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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 the wise move?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news:t9:2
# text = What is the wise move?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	wise	wise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	move	move	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Post it online with his name, so that other people learn from what he did wrong

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news:t9:o1:1
# text = Post it online with his name, so that other people learn from what he did wrong
1	Post	post	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	online	online	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	12	mark	_	_
9	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	fixed	_	_
10	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
12	learn	learn	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
13	from	from	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
15	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
16	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	acl:relcl	_	_
17	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **post** | imperative | you *not said here* | it |  |  |  | with his name; online *property* | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 2 | **learn** | present | other people |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.source»: agent=Agent from what=Source |
| 3 | **do** | past | he |  |  |  |  | wrong *property* | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **name** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Go down to the tracks after school to check it for yourself

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news:t9:o2:1
# text = Go down to the tracks after school to check it for yourself
1	Go	go	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	down	down	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	tracks	track	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	_
6	after	after	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	check	check	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	for	for	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	yourself	yourself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go down** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  | after school | to the tracks; down *property* | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 2 | **check** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | school |  |  |  | for yourself | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent it=Theme for yourself=Attribute |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Don't spread it; rumours are often wrong, and remember tracks are dangerous

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news:t9:o3:1
# text = Don't spread it; rumours are often wrong, and remember tracks are dangerous
1	Do	do	AUX	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	spread	spread	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	csubj	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
6	rumours	rumour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	often	often	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	remember	remember	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
13	tracks	track	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	_
14	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
15	dangerous	dangerous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **spread** | infinitive · do-support |  | it |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location it=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | rumours |  |  |  |  | often, wrong *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **remember** | infinitive | rumours *not said here* | tracks |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent track=Theme |
| 4 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | dangerous *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pass it on, because everyone at the gate already knows anyway

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news:t9:o4:1
# text = Pass it on, because everyone at the gate already knows anyway
1	Pass	pass	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
5	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
6	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	11	nsubj	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	gate	gate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	already	already	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	knows	know	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
12	anyway	anyway	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass on** | imperative | you *not said here* | it |  |  |  |  | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 2 | **know** | present | everyone |  |  |  |  | anyway *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- 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 [Accidents, wars and deaths on the news](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/60-accidents-wars-and-deaths-on-the-news/)