---
title: Tom builds a circuit with a battery, a bulb and wires, but uses a pe… — Electricity — circuits, switches and s… · tree and pragmatics
description: Tom builds a circuit with a battery, a bulb and wires, but uses a pencil's wooden body to join two wires. The bulb stays dark. Why? Test 1 · ★★ of lesson 55 «Electricity — circuits, switches and safety» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the ques
---

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# Test 1 · ★★ · Electricity — circuits, switches and safety

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tom builds a circuit with a battery, a bulb and wires, but uses a pencil's wooden body to join two wires. The bulb stays dark. Why?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Tom, bulb · **What happens:** build, use, join, stay · **To what, where:** circuit, wooden body, two wires

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 · ★★ of lesson 55 «Electricity — circuits, switches and safety» 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/55-electricity/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Tom builds a circuit with a battery, a bulb and wires, but uses a pencil's wooden body to join two wires.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:1
# text = Tom builds a circuit with a battery, a bulb and wires, but uses a pencil's wooden body to join two wires.
1	Tom	Tom	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	builds	build	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	circuit	circuit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	battery	battery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	bulb	bulb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	wires	wire	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
14	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
15	uses	use	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	pencil	pencil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	's	's	PART	POS	_	17	case	_	_
19	wooden	wooden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	amod	_	_
20	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
21	to	to	PART	TO	_	22	mark	_	_
22	join	join	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	advcl	_	_
23	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	24	nummod	_	_
24	wires	wire	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	22	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **build** | present | Tom | a circuit |  |  |  | with a battery | vn base-97.1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent circuit=Theme with battery=Source |
| 2 | **use** | present | Tom *not said here* | a pencil's wooden body |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent body=Patient |
| 3 | **join** | to-infinitive | Tom *not said here* | two wires |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wire=Patient |

<!-- .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:* The bulb stays dark.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:2
# text = The bulb stays dark.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	bulb	bulb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	stays	stay	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stay** | present | the bulb |  |  |  |  | dark *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Why?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:3
# text = Why?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pencil needs to be sharpened

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:o1:1
# text = The pencil needs to be sharpened
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pencil	pencil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	sharpened	sharpen	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | the pencil |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **sharpen** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive · passive | the pencil *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V» |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wood is an insulator and blocks the flow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:o2:1
# text = Wood is an insulator and blocks the flow
1	Wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	insulator	insulator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	blocks	block	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	flow	flow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Wood | a insulator |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **block** | present | Wood *not said here* | the flow |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer flow=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bulb only works with plastic

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:o3:1
# text = The bulb only works with plastic
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	bulb	bulb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	works	work	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	plastic	plastic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work** | present | the bulb |  |  |  |  | with plastic | vn cooperate-73.1-3 «NP V PP.co-agent PP.theme»: agent=Agent with plastic=Co-Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wood is a conductor but the pencil is too short

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:55-electricity:t1:o4:1
# text = Wood is a conductor but the pencil is too short
1	Wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	conductor	conductor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
5	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	pencil	pencil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
9	too	too	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Wood | a conductor but the pencil |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | a conductor but the pencil |  |  |  |  | short *property* | 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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