---
title: The King says the Knave's poem is unsigned, «so he must have meant s… — A fair trial, and the Wonderland court… · tree and pragmatics
description: The King says the Knave's poem is unsigned, «so he must have meant some mischief». Why is that bad thinking? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 191 «A fair trial, and the Wonderland court that gets it all wrong» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question
---

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# Test 5 · ★★ · A fair trial, and the Wonderland court that gets it all wr…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The King says the Knave's poem is unsigned, «so he must have meant some mischief». Why is that bad thinking?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** King, poem · **What happens:** say, be, mean · **To what, where:** mischief · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 191 «A fair trial, and the Wonderland court that gets it all wrong» 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/191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* The King says the Knave's poem is unsigned, «so he must have meant some mischief».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong:t5:1
# text = The King says the Knave's poem is unsigned, «so he must have meant some mischief».
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	King	King	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Knave	Knave	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	poem	poem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	unsigned	unsigned	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	so	so	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
13	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
14	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	_
15	have	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	aux	_	_
16	meant	mean	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	3	parataxis	_	_
17	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	18	det	_	_
18	mischief	mischief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | the King |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present | the Knave's poem |  |  |  |  | unsigned *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **mean** *in a quote* | must · perfect | King | some mischief |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mischief=Topic |

<!-- .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:* Why is that bad thinking?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong:t5:2
# text = Why is that bad thinking?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	thinking	thinking	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unsigned poems are always written by the Queen

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong:t5:o1:1
# text = Unsigned poems are always written by the Queen
1	Unsigned	unsigned	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	poems	poem	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	5	advmod	_	_
5	written	write	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	Queen	Queen	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | present · passive | the Queen | Unsigned poems |  |  |  | always *property* | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Having no name on it proves nothing about who wrote it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong:t5:o2:1
# text = Having no name on it proves nothing about who wrote it
1	Having	have	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	csubj	_	_
2	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	3	det	_	_
3	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obl	_	_
6	proves	prove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	obj	_	_
8	about	about	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
9	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
10	wrote	write	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	ccomp	_	_
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 | **have** | gerund |  | no name |  | name |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent name=Patient |
| 2 | **prove** | present | Having | nothing |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent nothing=Attribute clause=Theme |
| 3 | **write** | past |  | name |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Poems are never used as evidence in any court

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong:t5:o3:1
# text = Poems are never used as evidence in any court
1	Poems	poem	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	as	as	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	court	court	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **use** | present · passive |  | Poems |  |  |  | as evidence in any court | vn spend\_time-104 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Duration as evidence=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Knave could not write at all, because he was only a playing card

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong:t5:o4:1
# text = The Knave could not write at all, because he was only a playing card
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Knave	knave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
9	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
10	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
11	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
12	only	only	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	playing	playing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	card	card	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **write** | could | the Knave |  |  | all |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | Knave | a playing card |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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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- ↑ back to [A fair trial, and the Wonderland court that gets it all wrong](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/191-a-fair-trial-and-the-wonderland-court-that-gets-it-all-wrong/)