---
title: In a cartoon, a train swerves round a cow standing on the line. What… — Trains and the Underground · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon, a train swerves round a cow standing on the line. What is wrong? Test 1 of lesson 21 «Trains and the Underground» of the technology 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 1 · Trains and the Underground

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon, a train swerves round a cow standing on the line. What is wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** train, cow · **What happens:** swerve, stand, be · **To what, where:** cartoon, line

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 of lesson 21 «Trains and the Underground» of the technology 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/technology/21-trains-and-the-underground/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon, a train swerves round a cow standing on the line.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:21-trains-and-the-underground:t1:1
# text = In a cartoon, a train swerves round a cow standing on the line.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	train	train	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	swerves	swerve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	round	round	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	cow	cow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	standing	stand	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	line	line	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swerve** | present | a train |  |  | a cartoon |  | round a cow | vn meander-47.7-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme round cow=Location |
| 2 | **stand** | gerund | a cow *not said here* |  |  | the line |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent on line=Location |

<!-- .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 wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:21-trains-and-the-underground:t1:2
# text = What is wrong?
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	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only the driver's cab can swerve, not the carriages

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:21-trains-and-the-underground:t1:o1:1
# text = Only the driver's cab can swerve, not the carriages
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	driver	driver	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	cab	cab	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	swerve	swerve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	carriages	carriage	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swerve** | can | the driver's cab | the carriages |  |  |  |  | vn meander-47.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A train can't swerve, because the rails steer it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:21-trains-and-the-underground:t1:o2:1
# text = A train can't swerve, because the rails steer it
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	train	train	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	swerve	swerve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	rails	rail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	steer	steer	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **swerve** | can | a train |  |  |  |  |  | vn meander-47.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **steer** | present | the rails | train |  |  |  |  | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Trains swerve only when they go slowly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:21-trains-and-the-underground:t1:o3:1
# text = Trains swerve only when they go slowly
1	Trains	train	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	swerve	swerve	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
4	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
5	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	go	go	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
7	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swerve** | present | Trains |  |  |  |  |  | vn meander-47.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **go** | present | Trains *= train* |  |  |  |  | slowly *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing, trains steer round things all the time

```conllu
# sent_id = question:technology:21-trains-and-the-underground:t1:o4:1
# text = Nothing, trains steer round things all the time
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	trains	train	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	steer	steer	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	round	round	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	9	det:predet	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **steer** | present | Nothing trains | round things |  |  | time |  | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thing=Theme |

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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.

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- ← previous: [Buses, trams, lorries and traffic lights, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/20-buses-trams-lorries-and-traffic-lights/e4/)
- next →: [Trains and the Underground, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/21-trains-and-the-underground/t2/)
- ↑ back to [Trains and the Underground](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/technology/21-trains-and-the-underground/)