The sentence “When the dead rabbit was seen by the dog, it hopped” uses “it” in a way that could lead to confusion due to the use of “dead rabbit” earlier in the sentence. Logically, “it” should refer to the subject that can perform the action described by the verb “hopped.” Since the rabbit is described as “dead,” it cannot perform the action of hopping. Therefore, “it” logically refers to the dog, as it is the only subject capable of hopping in this context. The sentence structure, however, might cause confusion, and it would be clearer if it directly stated the subject performing the action.
Here’s what Microsoft Copilot which uses ChatGPT 4 said when I asked:
The phrase “it” in the sentence “when the dead rabbit was seen by the dog, it hopped” refers to the rabbit. This is because the sentence is using a subordinate clause to modify the noun “rabbit”. A subordinate clause is a group of words that provides additional information about the main clause, but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. In this case, the subordinate clause is “when the dead rabbit was seen by the dog”, which tells us when the rabbit hopped. The word “it” refers back to the rabbit and avoids repetition.
Here is an example of a sentence with a subordinate clause and a word that refers back to the main clause:
I saw a dog chasing a rabbit in the park.
I saw a dog chasing it, which was a rabbit.
I hope this helps you understand how to use subordinate clauses and words that refer back to nouns. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. 😊
Edit: I just tried it with asking it to role play as Mr. Spock. Same thing.
Schemas are another alternative to the Turing Test. They use the ambiguity of language to test understanding.
For example: When the ship hit the iceberg, it sank. What does “it” refer to: the ship or the iceberg?
When the dog saw the dead rabbit, it hopped. What does “it” refer to: the dog or the rabbit?
The problem with schemas is that ChatGPT 3.5 passes them with flying colors. And I’m still not convinced it is sentient.
Gpt3.5 isn’t particularly good.
Gpt4:
Here’s what Microsoft Copilot which uses ChatGPT 4 said when I asked:
Edit: I just tried it with asking it to role play as Mr. Spock. Same thing.