---
title: His dad: "So you bought a really rare thing you can't sell. Congratu… — Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost · tree and pragmatics
description: His dad: "So you bought a really rare thing you can't sell. Congratulations on your very expensive picture." What should Arjun have done first? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 172 «Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of th
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/t9/)

<!-- 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/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/) / [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/) / t9

# Test 9 · ★ · Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His dad: "So you bought a really rare thing you can't sell. Congratulations on your very expensive picture." What should Arjun have done first?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** dad, you, Arjun · **What happens:** buy, not sell, do · **To what, where:** rare thing

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 172 «Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost» of the world 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/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* His dad: "So you bought a really rare thing you can't sell.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:1
# text = His dad: "So you bought a really rare thing you can't sell.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	2	punct	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	So	so	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	bought	buy	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	really	really	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	rare	rare	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
12	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
13	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
15	sell	sell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **buy** *in a quote* | past | His dad | a rare thing |  |  |  |  | vn accept-77.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thing=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **sell** *in a quote* | can | you | a rare thing *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thing=Theme |

<!-- .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:* Congratulations on your very expensive picture."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:2
# text = Congratulations on your very expensive picture."
1	Congratulations	congratulation	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
3	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
4	very	very	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	expensive	expensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What should Arjun have done first?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:3
# text = What should Arjun have done first?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	5	obj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	Arjun	Arjun	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	have	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux	_	_
5	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
6	first	first	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | should · perfect | Arjun |  |  |  |  | first *property* | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bought even more boxes to get a better one

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:o1:1
# text = Bought even more boxes to get a better one
1	Bought	buy	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
2	even	even	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
3	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	amod	_	_
4	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	9	amod	_	_
9	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **buy** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn accept-77.1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **get** | to-infinitive |  | a better one |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer one=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sold it to a friend for cash straight away

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:o2:1
# text = Sold it to a friend for cash straight away
1	Sold	sell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	cash	cash	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	straight	straight	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	away	away	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sell** | past |  | it | a friend for cash |  |  | away *property* | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent it=Theme to friend=Recipient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Asked a famous streamer to buy it from him

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:o3:1
# text = Asked a famous streamer to buy it from him
1	Asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	famous	famous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	streamer	streamer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	buy	buy	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	xcomp	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past |  | a famous streamer |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP whether S\_INF»: agent=Agent streamer=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **buy** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a famous streamer *not said here* | streamer |  |  |  | from him *= he* | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent it=Theme from he=Source |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Checked the game's rules before spending

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost:t9:o4:1
# text = Checked the game's rules before spending
1	Checked	check	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	game	game	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
6	before	before	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	spending	spending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **check** | past |  | the game's rules |  |  | before spending |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rule=Theme |
| 2 | **rule** |  | the game |  |  |  |  |  | nom rule «cognition intransitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- 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: [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/t8/)
- next →: [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/t10/)
- ↑ back to [Loot boxes, streaks and the sunk cost](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/172-loot-boxes-streaks-and-the-sunk-cost/)