Exam question 3 · Sicilian Tales, Maria and the King, part 1: a clever girl…
What stratagem does Maria employ to satisfy the monarch's demand for a coat of stone?
Mova's choice: option 2 · The right answer: option 2 · right ✓ · Who acts: stratagem, monarch · What happens: employ, satisfy, demand · To what, where: demand
This is exam question 3 of lesson 723 «Sicilian Tales, Maria and the King, part 1: a clever girl outwits the king and saves her father» 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 | What | what | DET | PronType=Int | 2 stratagem | det |
| 2 | stratagem | stratagem | NOUN | Number=Sing | 5 employ | nsubj |
| 3 | does | do | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 5 employ | aux |
| 4 | Maria | maria | AUX | VerbForm=Fin | 5 employ | aux |
| 5 | employ | employ | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | root | root |
| 6 | to | to | PART | _ | 7 satisfy | mark |
| 7 | satisfy | satisfy | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 5 employ | xcomp |
| 8 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 9 monarch | det |
| 9 | monarch | monarch | NOUN | Number=Sing | 11 demand | nmod:poss |
| 10 | 's | 's | PART | _ | 9 monarch | case |
| 11 | demand | demand | NOUN | Number=Sing | 7 satisfy | obj |
| 12 | for | for | ADP | _ | 14 coat | case |
| 13 | a | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 14 coat | det |
| 14 | coat | coat | NOUN | Number=Sing | 7 satisfy | obl |
| 15 | of | of | ADP | _ | 16 stone | case |
| 16 | stone | stone | NOUN | Number=Sing | 14 coat | nmod |
| 17 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 5 employ | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | employ | present · do-support | what stratagem | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent clause=Attribute | |||||
| 2 | satisfy | to-infinitive | what stratagem not said here | the monarch's demand | for a coat of stone | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus demand=Experiencer | |||
| 3 | demand | the monarch | nom demand «communication 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
She advises her father to offer a plain cloth as the required garment
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | She | she | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 advises | nsubj |
| 2 | advises | advise | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | her | her | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 4 father | nmod:poss |
| 4 | father | father | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 advises | obj |
| 5 | to | to | PART | _ | 6 offer | mark |
| 6 | offer | offer | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 2 advises | xcomp |
| 7 | a | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 9 cloth | det |
| 8 | plain | plain | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 9 cloth | amod |
| 9 | cloth | cloth | NOUN | Number=Sing | 6 offer | obj |
| 10 | as | as | ADP | _ | 13 garment | case |
| 11 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 13 garment | det |
| 12 | required | require | VERB | Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass | 13 garment | amod |
| 13 | garment | garment | NOUN | Number=Sing | 6 offer | obl |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | advise speech: other | present | She | her father | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP how S_INF»: agent=Agent father=Recipient clause=Topic | ||||
| 2 | offer not said to happen | to-infinitive | her father not said here | a plain cloth | as the required garment | vn volunteer-95.4 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent cloth=Pivot as garment=Attribute | |||
| 3 | require | participle | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S_INF»: agent=Theme |
Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer
She instructs her father to present chalk as a measure of the king
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | She | she | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 instructs | nsubj |
| 2 | instructs | instruct | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | her | her | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 4 father | nmod:poss |
| 4 | father | father | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 instructs | obj |
| 5 | to | to | PART | _ | 6 present | mark |
| 6 | present | present | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 2 instructs | advcl |
| 7 | chalk | chalk | NOUN | Number=Sing | 6 present | obj |
| 8 | as | as | ADP | _ | 10 measure | case |
| 9 | a | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 10 measure | det |
| 10 | measure | measure | NOUN | Number=Sing | 6 present | obl |
| 11 | of | of | ADP | _ | 13 king | case |
| 12 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 13 king | det |
| 13 | king | king | NOUN | Number=Sing | 10 measure | nmod |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | instruct speech: other | present | She | her father | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent father=Recipient | ||||
| 2 | present | to-infinitive | She not said here | chalk | as a measure of the king | vn fulfilling-13.4.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent chalk=Theme | |||
| 3 | measure | the king | nom measure «act transitive»: of=patient |
Option 3
She has her father deliver a coat of stone to the palace, and then she quietly measures the king's height in front of the whole court with a length of thread
The tree, 32 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | She | she | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 has | nsubj |
| 2 | has | have | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | her | her | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 4 father | nmod:poss |
| 4 | father | father | NOUN | Number=Sing | 5 deliver | nsubj |
| 5 | deliver | deliver | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 has | ccomp |
| 6 | a | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 7 coat | det |
| 7 | coat | coat | NOUN | Number=Sing | 5 deliver | obj |
| 8 | of | of | ADP | _ | 9 stone | case |
| 9 | stone | stone | NOUN | Number=Sing | 7 coat | nmod |
| 10 | to | to | ADP | _ | 12 palace | case |
| 11 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 12 palace | det |
| 12 | palace | palace | NOUN | Number=Sing | 5 deliver | obl |
| 13 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 18 measures | punct |
| 14 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 18 measures | cc |
| 15 | then | then | ADV | PronType=Dem | 18 measures | advmod |
| 16 | she | she | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 18 measures | nsubj |
| 17 | quietly | quietly | ADV | _ | 18 measures | advmod |
| 18 | measures | measure | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 has | conj |
| 19 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 20 king | det |
| 20 | king | king | NOUN | Number=Sing | 22 height | nmod:poss |
| 21 | 's | 's | PART | _ | 20 king | case |
| 22 | height | height | NOUN | Number=Sing | 18 measures | obj |
| 23 | in | in | ADP | _ | 24 front | case |
| 24 | front | front | NOUN | Number=Sing | 18 measures | obl |
| 25 | of | of | ADP | _ | 28 court | case |
| 26 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 28 court | det |
| 27 | whole | whole | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 28 court | amod |
| 28 | court | court | NOUN | Number=Sing | 24 front | nmod |
| 29 | with | with | ADP | _ | 31 length | case |
| 30 | a | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 31 length | det |
| 31 | length | length | NOUN | Number=Sing | 28 court | nmod |
| 32 | of | of | ADP | _ | 33 thread | case |
| 33 | thread | thread | NOUN | Number=Sing | 31 length | nmod |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | have | present | She | tree rules | |||||
| 2 | deliver | present | her father | a coat of stone | the palace | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent coat=Theme to palace=Destination | |||
| 3 | measure | present | she | the king's height | front of the whole court with a length of thread | then | quietly property | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme height=Value |
Option 4
She persuades her father to bring the king a stone coat, then secretly replaces it with an old wool sheet while the court watches
The tree, 24 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | She | she | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 2 persuades | nsubj |
| 2 | persuades | persuade | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 3 | her | her | PRON | Case=Gen Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs | 4 father | nmod:poss |
| 4 | father | father | NOUN | Number=Sing | 2 persuades | obj |
| 5 | to | to | PART | _ | 6 bring | mark |
| 6 | bring | bring | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 2 persuades | advcl |
| 7 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 8 king | det |
| 8 | king | king | NOUN | Number=Sing | 6 bring | obj |
| 9 | a | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 11 coat | det |
| 10 | stone | stone | NOUN | Number=Sing | 11 coat | compound |
| 11 | coat | coat | NOUN | Number=Sing | 6 bring | obj |
| 12 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 15 replaces | punct |
| 13 | then | then | ADV | PronType=Dem | 15 replaces | advmod |
| 14 | secretly | secretly | ADV | _ | 15 replaces | advmod |
| 15 | replaces | replace | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 2 persuades | conj |
| 16 | it | it | PRON | Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 15 replaces | obj |
| 17 | with | with | ADP | _ | 21 sheet | case |
| 18 | an | a | DET | Definite=Ind PronType=Art | 21 sheet | det |
| 19 | old | old | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 21 sheet | amod |
| 20 | wool | wool | NOUN | Number=Sing | 21 sheet | compound |
| 21 | sheet | sheet | NOUN | Number=Sing | 15 replaces | obl |
| 22 | while | while | SCONJ | _ | 25 watches | mark |
| 23 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 24 court | det |
| 24 | court | court | NOUN | Number=Sing | 25 watches | nsubj |
| 25 | watches | watch | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 15 replaces | advcl |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | persuade | present | She | her father | vn compel-59.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent father=Patient | ||||
| 2 | bring | to-infinitive | She not said here | a stone coat | the king | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP NP»: agent=Agent king=Destination coat=Theme | |||
| 3 | replace | present | She not said here | coat | then | with a old wool sheet; secretly property | vn substitute-13.6.2-1 «NP V NP PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme it=Location with sheet=Co-Theme | ||
| 4 | watch | present | the court | vn search-35.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent |
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/723-pg2435-part63/e3/