Exam question 2 · The Wind in the Willows, chapter XI, part 4: «Like Summer…

Ascertain the means whereby intelligence of the forthcoming banquet was obtained.

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 2 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: you, the · What happens: ascertain, mean, obtain · To what, where: intelligence · Speech: someone speaks here

This is exam question 2 of lesson 68 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter XI, part 4: «Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears» (the secret passage, the birthday banquet and «learn 'em»)» 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	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	3 means	nsubj
3	means	mean	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	1 Ascertain	ccomp
4	whereby	whereby	ADV	PronType=Int	11 obtained	advmod
5	intelligence	intelligence	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 obtained	nsubj
6	of	of	ADP	_	9 banquet	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 banquet	det
8	forthcoming	forthcoming	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 banquet	amod
9	banquet	banquet	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 intelligence	nmod
10	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	11 obtained	aux:pass
11	obtained	obtain	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	3 means	ccomp
12	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Ascertain	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	ascertain	imperative	you not said here			vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic
2	mean	present	the			vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic
3	obtain	past · passive		intelligence of the forthcoming banquet	whereby property	vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Theme

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 · ← Mova's choice

A weasel boasted about it at the inn door, then the Badger wrote

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	A	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	2 weasel	det
2	weasel	weasel	NOUN	Number=Sing	14 wrote	nsubj
3	boasted	boast	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	2 weasel	acl
4	about	about	ADP	_	5 it	case
5	it	it	PRON	Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	3 boasted	obl
6	at	at	ADP	_	9 door	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 door	det
8	inn	inn	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 door	compound
9	door	door	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 boasted	obl
10	,	,	PUNCT	_	13 Badger	punct
11	then	then	ADV	PronType=Dem	13 Badger	advmod
12	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 Badger	det
13	Badger	Badger	PROPN	Number=Sing	2 weasel	appos
14	wrote	write	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	boast speech: other	participle		a weasel not said here		the inn door		about weasel	vn complain-37.8 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about it=Topic
2	write	past	a weasel						vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent

Option 2 · ✓ the right answer

The Otter, disguised as a sweep, enquired at the back door

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 Otter	det
2	Otter	Otter	PROPN	Number=Sing	9 enquired	nsubj
3	,	,	PUNCT	_	4 disguised	punct
4	disguised	disguise	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	2 Otter	acl
5	as	as	ADP	_	7 sweep	case
6	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	7 sweep	det
7	sweep	sweep	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 disguised	obl
8	,	,	PUNCT	_	9 enquired	punct
9	enquired	enquire	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
10	at	at	ADP	_	13 door	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 door	det
12	back	back	NOUN	Number=Sing	13 door	compound
13	door	door	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 enquired	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	disguise	participle		the Otter not said here				as a sweep	vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme
2	enquire speech: other	participle	the Otter			the back door			vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent

Option 3

The Otter, disguised as a sweep, enquired at the back door, then climbed the chimney to listen

The tree, 17 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 Otter	det
2	Otter	Otter	PROPN	Number=Sing	16 climbed	nsubj
3	,	,	PUNCT	_	4 disguised	punct
4	disguised	disguise	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	2 Otter	acl
5	as	as	ADP	_	7 sweep	case
6	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	7 sweep	det
7	sweep	sweep	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 disguised	obl
8	,	,	PUNCT	_	9 enquired	punct
9	enquired	enquire	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	7 sweep	acl
10	at	at	ADP	_	13 door	case
11	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 door	det
12	back	back	NOUN	Number=Sing	13 door	compound
13	door	door	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 enquired	obl
14	,	,	PUNCT	_	2 Otter	punct
15	then	then	ADV	PronType=Dem	16 climbed	advmod
16	climbed	climb	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
17	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	18 chimney	det
18	chimney	chimney	NOUN	Number=Sing	16 climbed	obj
19	to	to	PART	_	20 listen	mark
20	listen	listen	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	16 climbed	xcomp

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	disguise	participle		the Otter not said here			as a sweep	vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme
2	enquire speech: other	participle		a sweep not said here	the back door			vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent
3	climb	past	the Otter	the chimney		then		tree rules
4	listen	to-infinitive	the Otter not said here					vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent

Option 4

The Mole crept round and listened at the kitchen window in the snow

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 Mole	det
2	Mole	mole	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 crept	nsubj
3	crept	creep	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
4	round	round	ADV	_	3 crept	advmod
5	and	and	CCONJ	_	6 listened	cc
6	listened	listen	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	3 crept	conj
7	at	at	ADP	_	10 window	case
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	10 window	det
9	kitchen	kitchen	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 window	compound
10	window	window	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 listened	obl
11	in	in	ADP	_	13 snow	case
12	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	13 snow	det
13	snow	snow	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 listened	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	creep	past	the Mole					round property	vn run-51.3.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme
2	listen	past	the Mole not said here					in the snow; at the kitchen window	vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at window=Theme

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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