Exam question 4 · Yellow Fairy Book, Mayblossom, part 4: the Princess spies…

Describe the manner in which the Princess first obtained a view of the external world, as recorded in the passage.

Mova's choice: option 3 · The right answer: option 2 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: you, Princess · What happens: describe, obtain, record, view · To what, where: manner, view, passage, external world

This is exam question 4 of lesson 1507 «Yellow Fairy Book, Mayblossom, part 4: the Princess spies Fanfaronade through a peep-hole and falls for him» 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	Describe	describe	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	3 manner	det
3	manner	manner	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Describe	obj
4	in	in	ADP	_	5 which	case
5	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	9 obtained	obl
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 Princess	det
7	Princess	princess	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 obtained	nsubj
8	first	first	ADV	NumForm=Word NumType=Ord	9 obtained	advmod
9	obtained	obtain	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	3 manner	acl:relcl
10	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	11 view	det
11	view	view	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 obtained	obj
12	of	of	ADP	_	15 world	case
13	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	15 world	det
14	external	external	ADJ	Degree=Pos	15 world	amod
15	world	world	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 view	nmod
16	,	,	PUNCT	_	18 recorded	punct
17	as	as	SCONJ	_	18 recorded	mark
18	recorded	record	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	9 obtained	conj
19	in	in	ADP	_	21 passage	case
20	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	21 passage	det
21	passage	passage	NOUN	Number=Sing	18 recorded	obl
22	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Describe	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	where	other	roles by
1	describe	imperative	you not said here	the manner			vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S_ING»: agent=Agent manner=Theme
2	obtain	past	the Princess	a view of the external world	the manner	first property	vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent view=Theme
3	record	participle	the Princess not said here		the passage		vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent in passage=Destination
4	view			the external world			nom view «cognition transitive»: of=patient

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

By means of a small crack, made with much effort, through which she saw the Dwarf's cart go by

The tree, 20 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	ADP	_	2 means	case
2	means	mean	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	6 crack	case
4	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	6 crack	det
5	small	small	ADJ	Degree=Pos	6 crack	amod
6	crack	crack	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 means	obl
7	,	,	PUNCT	_	8 made	punct
8	made	make	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	6 crack	acl
9	with	with	ADP	_	11 effort	case
10	much	much	ADJ	Degree=Pos	11 effort	amod
11	effort	effort	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 made	obl
12	,	,	PUNCT	_	16 saw	punct
13	through	through	ADP	_	14 which	case
14	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	16 saw	obl
15	she	she	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	16 saw	nsubj
16	saw	see	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	2 means	conj
17	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	18 Dwarf	det
18	Dwarf	Dwarf	PROPN	Number=Sing	20 cart	nmod:poss
19	's	's	PART	_	18 Dwarf	case
20	cart	cart	NOUN	Number=Sing	21 go	nsubj
21	go	go	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	16 saw	ccomp
22	by	by	ADP	_	21 go	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	mean	present			of a small crack	vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent
2	make	participle		a small crack not said here	with much effort	vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset
3	see	past	she			vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V S_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus
4	go by	infinitive	the Dwarf's cart			vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme

Option 2 · ✓ the right answer

By means of a tiny hole, made with great difficulty, through which she observed the ambassador's procession

The tree, 18 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	ADP	_	2 means	case
2	means	mean	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	6 hole	case
4	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	6 hole	det
5	tiny	tiny	ADJ	Degree=Pos	6 hole	amod
6	hole	hole	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 means	obl
7	,	,	PUNCT	_	8 made	punct
8	made	make	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	6 hole	acl
9	with	with	ADP	_	11 difficulty	case
10	great	great	ADJ	Degree=Pos	11 difficulty	amod
11	difficulty	difficulty	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 made	obl
12	,	,	PUNCT	_	16 observed	punct
13	through	through	ADP	_	14 which	case
14	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	16 observed	obl
15	she	she	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	16 observed	nsubj
16	observed	observe	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	2 means	conj
17	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	18 ambassador	det
18	ambassador	ambassador	NOUN	Number=Sing	20 procession	nmod:poss
19	's	's	PART	_	18 ambassador	case
20	procession	procession	NOUN	Number=Sing	16 observed	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	mean	present			of a tiny hole	vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent
2	make	participle		a tiny hole not said here	with great difficulty	vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset
3	observe	past	she	the ambassador's procession		vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent procession=Topic
4	proceed		the ambassador			nom procession «event intransitive»: poss=agent

Option 3 · ← Mova's choice

By means of a hole in the roof, made with patience, through which she watched the fairies arriving at dusk

The tree, 20 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	By	by	ADP	_	2 means	case
2	means	mean	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	of	of	ADP	_	5 hole	case
4	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	5 hole	det
5	hole	hole	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 means	obl
6	in	in	ADP	_	8 roof	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 roof	det
8	roof	roof	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 hole	nmod
9	,	,	PUNCT	_	10 made	punct
10	made	make	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	5 hole	acl
11	with	with	ADP	_	12 patience	case
12	patience	patience	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 made	obl
13	,	,	PUNCT	_	17 watched	punct
14	through	through	ADP	_	15 which	case
15	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	17 watched	obl
16	she	she	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	17 watched	nsubj
17	watched	watch	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	2 means	conj
18	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	19 fairies	det
19	fairies	fairy	NOUN	Number=Plur	17 watched	obj
20	arriving	arrive	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	17 watched	xcomp
21	at	at	ADP	_	22 dusk	case
22	dusk	dusk	NOUN	Number=Sing	20 arriving	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	when	other	roles by
1	mean	present				of a hole in the roof	vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent
2	make	participle		a hole in the roof not said here		with patience	vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset
3	watch	past	she	the fairies			tree rules
4	arrive	gerund	the fairies not said here		dusk		vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme

Option 4

Through a door

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Through	through	ADP	_	3 door	case
2	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	3 door	det
3	door	door	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root

The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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