---
title: In a cartoon a scientist sees one purple cow and shouts, "So ALL cow… — One counterexample is enough · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon a scientist sees one purple cow and shouts, "So ALL cows are purple!" What is the mistake? Test 12 · ★ of lesson 187 «One counterexample is enough» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was
---

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# Test 12 · ★ · One counterexample is enough

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon a scientist sees one purple cow and shouts, "So ALL cows are purple!" What is the mistake?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** scientist, cows, mistake · **What happens:** see, shout, be · **To what, where:** one purple cow, cartoon · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 12 · ★ of lesson 187 «One counterexample is enough» 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/187-one-counterexample-is-enough/#t12).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon a scientist sees one purple cow and shouts, "So ALL cows are purple!"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:187-one-counterexample-is-enough:t12:1
# text = In a cartoon a scientist sees one purple cow and shouts, "So ALL cows are purple!"
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	6	obl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	scientist	scientist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	sees	see	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
8	purple	purple	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	cow	cow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	shouts	shout	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	So	so	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
15	ALL	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	16	det	_	_
16	cows	cow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	nsubj	_	_
17	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
18	purple	purple	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | present | a scientist | one purple cow |  | a cartoon |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **shout** *speech: express* | present | a scientist *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | all cows |  |  |  |  | purple *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 the mistake?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:187-one-counterexample-is-enough:t12:2
# text = What is the mistake?
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	4	det	_	_
4	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
One example always proves "all"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:187-one-counterexample-is-enough:t12:o1:1
# text = One example always proves "all"
1	One	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	example	example	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	4	advmod	_	_
4	proves	prove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prove** | present | One example | all |  |  |  | always *property* | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent all=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
One example can break "all", but it can't prove "all"

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:187-one-counterexample-is-enough:t12:o2:1
# text = One example can break "all", but it can't prove "all"
1	One	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	example	example	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	break	break	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
9	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
11	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	prove	prove	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	parataxis	_	_
14	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | can | One example | all |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer all=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **prove** | can | example | all |  |  |  |  | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent all=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cows can't be purple in cartoons

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:187-one-counterexample-is-enough:t12:o3:1
# text = Cows can't be purple in cartoons
1	Cows	cow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
5	purple	purple	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	cartoons	cartoon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | can | Cows |  |  | cartoons |  | purple *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Scientists never look at cows

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:187-one-counterexample-is-enough:t12:o4:1
# text = Scientists never look at cows
1	Scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	look	look	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	cows	cow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **look** | present | Scientists |  |  |  |  | at cows | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at cow=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: [One counterexample is enough, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/187-one-counterexample-is-enough/t11/)
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