---
title: why'd trains go on iron rails, not just roads — Transport: from horses to planes · tree and pragmatics
description: why'd trains go on iron rails, not just roads Test 11 · ★ of lesson 99 «Transport: from horses to planes» 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 wrong.
---

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# Test 11 · ★ · Transport: from horses to planes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
why'd trains go on iron rails, not just roads

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** trains · **What happens:** go · **To what, where:** roads, iron rails

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 11 · ★ of lesson 99 «Transport: from horses to planes» 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/99-transport-horses-to-planes/#t11).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:99-transport-horses-to-planes:t11:1
# text = why'd trains go on iron rails, not just roads
1	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	'd	'd	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	_
3	trains	train	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	go	go	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	iron	iron	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	rails	rail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
10	just	just	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	roads	road	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go** | present | trains | roads |  | iron rails |  |  | vn occur-48.3-2 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme on rail=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Roads were too narrow for wheels

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:99-transport-horses-to-planes:t11:o1:1
# text = Roads were too narrow for wheels
1	Roads	road	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	narrow	narrow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	wheels	wheel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Roads |  |  |  |  | for wheels; narrow *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Rails stop the trains from getting lost

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:99-transport-horses-to-planes:t11:o2:1
# text = Rails stop the trains from getting lost
1	Rails	rail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	stop	stop	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	trains	train	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	getting	get	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
7	lost	lose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | present | Rails | the trains |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality train=Eventuality |
| 2 | **get** | gerund | Rails *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 3 | **lose** | participle | Rails *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Iron rails give the train extra power from the ground

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:99-transport-horses-to-planes:t11:o3:1
# text = Iron rails give the train extra power from the ground
1	Iron	iron	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	rails	rail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	give	give	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	train	train	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	extra	extra	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	power	power	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present | Iron rails | the train |  | the ground |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent train=Recipient power=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wheels on smooth rails have much less friction

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:99-transport-horses-to-planes:t11:o4:1
# text = Wheels on smooth rails have much less friction
1	Wheels	wheel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	on	on	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	smooth	smooth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	rails	rail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	nmod	_	_
5	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	much	much	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	less	less	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	amod	_	_
8	friction	friction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | Wheels on smooth rails | less friction |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent friction=Patient |

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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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