Exam question 4 · Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 2…
With what fate does the Crab respond upon his capture, and what principle does the fable thereby illustrate?
Mova's choice: option 4 · The right answer: option 3 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: principle, fable, his · What happens: do, illustrate, capture · To what, where: Crab respond, fable
This is exam question 4 of lesson 150 «Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 20: the boy's sling sends the rooks flying from the wheat field» of the books course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. 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.
The question
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | With | with | ADP | _ | 3 fate | case |
| 2 | what | what | DET | PronType=Int | 3 fate | det |
| 3 | fate | fate | NOUN | Number=Sing | 4 does | obl |
| 4 | does | do | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 5 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 7 respond | det |
| 6 | Crab | Crab | PROPN | Number=Sing | 7 respond | compound |
| 7 | respond | respond | NOUN | Number=Sing | 4 does | obj |
| 8 | upon | upon | ADP | _ | 10 capture | case |
| 9 | his | his | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 10 capture | nmod:poss |
| 10 | capture | capture | NOUN | Number=Sing | 4 does | obl |
| 11 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 15 does | punct |
| 12 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 15 does | cc |
| 13 | what | what | DET | PronType=Int | 14 principle | det |
| 14 | principle | principle | NOUN | Number=Sing | 15 does | nsubj |
| 15 | does | do | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 4 does | conj |
| 16 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 17 fable | det |
| 17 | fable | fable | NOUN | Number=Sing | 15 does | obj |
| 18 | thereby | thereby | ADV | _ | 19 illustrate | advmod |
| 19 | illustrate | illustrate | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 17 fable | acl |
| 20 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 4 does | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | do | present | the Crab respond | with what fate; upon his capture | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent respond=Eventuality | ||||
| 2 | do | present | what principle | the fable | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fable=Eventuality | ||||
| 3 | illustrate | infinitive | the fable not said here | thereby property | vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ||||
| 4 | capture | his = he | nom capture «act transitive»: poss=agent |
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
Option 1
He begs the Fox for mercy, and the fable warns against greed and pride.
The tree, 14 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 begs | nsubj |
| 2 | begs | beg | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 4 Fox | det |
| 4 | Fox | fox | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 begs | obj |
| 5 | for | for | ADP | _ | 6 mercy | case |
| 6 | mercy | mercy | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 begs | obl |
| 7 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 11 warns | punct |
| 8 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 11 warns | cc |
| 9 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 10 fable | det |
| 10 | fable | fable | NOUN | Number=Sing | 11 warns | nsubj |
| 11 | warns | warn | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 begs | conj |
| 12 | against | against | ADP | _ | 13 greed | case |
| 13 | greed | greed | NOUN | Number=Sing | 11 warns | obl |
| 14 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 15 pride | cc |
| 15 | pride | pride | NOUN | Number=Sing | 13 greed | conj |
| 16 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 2 begs | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | beg speech: request | present | He | the Fox | for mercy | vn beg-58.2-1-1 «NP V NP PP.Topic»: agent=Agent fox=Recipient for mercy=Topic | |||
| 2 | warn speech: warn | present | the fable | against greed and pride | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent against greed=Topic |
Option 2
He blames the sea for his fate, and the fable shows that hasty choices bring lasting sorrow to the wise.
The tree, 20 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 blames | nsubj |
| 2 | blames | blame | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 4 sea | det |
| 4 | sea | sea | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 blames | obj |
| 5 | for | for | ADP | _ | 7 fate | case |
| 6 | his | his | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 7 fate | nmod:poss |
| 7 | fate | fate | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 blames | obl |
| 8 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 12 shows | punct |
| 9 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 12 shows | cc |
| 10 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 11 fable | det |
| 11 | fable | fable | NOUN | Number=Sing | 12 shows | nsubj |
| 12 | shows | show | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 blames | conj |
| 13 | that | that | SCONJ | _ | 16 bring | mark |
| 14 | hasty | hasty | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 15 choices | amod |
| 15 | choices | choice | NOUN | Number=Plur | 16 bring | nsubj |
| 16 | bring | bring | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 12 shows | ccomp |
| 17 | lasting | lasting | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 18 sorrow | amod |
| 18 | sorrow | sorrow | NOUN | Number=Sing | 16 bring | obj |
| 19 | to | to | ADP | _ | 21 wise | case |
| 20 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 21 wise | det |
| 21 | wise | wise | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 16 bring | obl |
| 22 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 2 blames | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | blame | present | He | the sea | for his fate | vn judgment-33.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent sea=Theme for fate=Attribute | |||
| 2 | show | present | the fable | vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | |||||
| 3 | bring | present | hasty choices | lasting sorrow | the wise | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent sorrow=Theme to wise=Destination | |||
| 4 | fate | his = he | nom fate «event transitive»: poss=agent |
Option 3 · ✓ the right answer
He accepts the fate as just, having left his natural home, and the fable teaches contentment with one's lot.
The tree, 20 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 accepts | nsubj |
| 2 | accepts | accept | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 4 fate | det |
| 4 | fate | fate | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 accepts | obj |
| 5 | as | as | SCONJ | _ | 9 left | mark |
| 6 | just | just | ADV | _ | 8 having | advmod |
| 7 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 8 having | punct |
| 8 | having | have | VERB | Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part | 9 left | advcl |
| 9 | left | leave | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=1 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 2 accepts | advcl |
| 10 | his | his | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 12 home | nmod:poss |
| 11 | natural | natural | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 12 home | amod |
| 12 | home | home | NOUN | Number=Sing | 9 left | obj |
| 13 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 17 teaches | punct |
| 14 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 17 teaches | cc |
| 15 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 16 fable | det |
| 16 | fable | fable | NOUN | Number=Sing | 17 teaches | nsubj |
| 17 | teaches | teach | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 accepts | conj |
| 18 | contentment | contentment | NOUN | Number=Sing | 17 teaches | obj |
| 19 | with | with | ADP | _ | 22 lot | case |
| 20 | one | one | PRON | Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 22 lot | nmod:poss |
| 21 | 's | 's | PART | _ | 20 one | case |
| 22 | lot | lot | NOUN | Number=Sing | 17 teaches | obl |
| 23 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 2 accepts | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | accept | present | He | the fate | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fate=Theme | ||||
| 2 | have | gerund | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | ||||||
| 3 | leave | past | He not said here | his natural home | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent home=Theme | ||||
| 4 | teach speech: other | present | the fable | contentment | with one's lot | vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent contentment=Recipient |
Option 4 · ← Mova's choice
He accepts the fate as just, having left his natural home for the land, and the fable teaches contentment with one's lot, for the fox is only doing what foxes do.
The tree, 32 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 accepts | nsubj |
| 2 | accepts | accept | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 4 fate | det |
| 4 | fate | fate | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 accepts | obj |
| 5 | as | as | SCONJ | _ | 9 left | mark |
| 6 | just | just | ADV | _ | 8 having | advmod |
| 7 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 8 having | punct |
| 8 | having | have | VERB | Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part | 9 left | advcl |
| 9 | left | leave | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=1 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 2 accepts | advcl |
| 10 | his | his | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 12 home | nmod:poss |
| 11 | natural | natural | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 12 home | amod |
| 12 | home | home | NOUN | Number=Sing | 9 left | obj |
| 13 | for | for | ADP | _ | 15 land | case |
| 14 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 15 land | det |
| 15 | land | land | NOUN | Number=Sing | 9 left | obl |
| 16 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 20 teaches | punct |
| 17 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 20 teaches | cc |
| 18 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 19 fable | det |
| 19 | fable | fable | NOUN | Number=Sing | 20 teaches | nsubj |
| 20 | teaches | teach | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 accepts | conj |
| 21 | contentment | contentment | NOUN | Number=Sing | 20 teaches | obj |
| 22 | with | with | ADP | _ | 25 lot | case |
| 23 | one | one | PRON | Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 25 lot | nmod:poss |
| 24 | 's | 's | PART | _ | 23 one | case |
| 25 | lot | lot | NOUN | Number=Sing | 20 teaches | obl |
| 26 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 32 doing | punct |
| 27 | for | for | SCONJ | _ | 32 doing | mark |
| 28 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 29 fox | det |
| 29 | fox | fox | NOUN | Number=Sing | 32 doing | nsubj |
| 30 | is | be | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 32 doing | aux |
| 31 | only | only | ADV | _ | 32 doing | advmod |
| 32 | doing | do | VERB | Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part | 20 teaches | advcl |
| 33 | what | what | PRON | PronType=Int | 35 do | obj |
| 34 | foxes | fox | NOUN | Number=Plur | 35 do | nsubj |
| 35 | do | do | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 32 doing | ccomp |
| 36 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 2 accepts | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | accept | present | He | the fate | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fate=Theme | ||||
| 2 | have | gerund | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | ||||||
| 3 | leave | past | He not said here | his natural home | for the land | vn fulfilling-13.4.1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent home=Theme for land=Recipient | |||
| 4 | teach speech: other | present | the fable | contentment | with one's lot | vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent contentment=Recipient | |||
| 5 | do | present · progressive | the fox | tree rules | |||||
| 6 | do | present | foxes | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality |
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.
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/e4/