What do you call a group of words that has this subject and a predicate but does not make complete sense

In “the bet” by anton p. chekhov, what motivates the lawyer to participate in the bet?

Ineed this answer “do you believe in free will or determination? why? ”

Rev. simon hosack] entered fully into the feeling of suffering and sorrow which took possession of me when i discovered that a girl weighed less in the scale of being than a boy, and he praised my determination to prove the contrary. which best describes society’s view of boys’ and girls’ abilities during the period in which elizabeth cady stanton lived?