Deirdre, Becfola's Wooing, part 21: Becfola sneaks home and the king turns her scolding into a joke

Tests: 4 of 13 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 13 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 1053 of the books course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose.

Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.

Test 1 · ★ · right ✓

Yo, did Becfola actually sneak back into the palace before breakfast, or what?

1. Yeah, super early, only the cooks were up — no support
2. Yeah, super early, nobody awake except the guards and the dogs, then she spent all morning sulking in the hall — score 1
3. Yeah, super early, nobody awake except the guards — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
4. Yeah, super early, nobody awake except the guards, and she was totally caught by the king later — score 1

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 3, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 665, line 12: «The housekeeper scolds him for "staying away so long," which shows he sneaks back to the palace.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same place «palace» (+3); a different doer (counts against) (+2). Against it: the same action «sneak back» (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · right ✓

So what did Flann say about the fight?

1. He won, but it was not a good thing, cos his brothers died — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
2. He won, but it was not a good thing, cos his brothers died and he's been wrecked ever since, mate — score 4
3. He lost the fight but got the gold, dead brothers and all — no support
4. He won, but it was not a good thing, cos all his brothers died, and the king wants him to sort the treasure out too — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1053, line 9: «Why: Flann will not speak to Becfola because "Until I have won the kingship of this land from all claimants, I am no match for the mate of the High King of Ire…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «win» (+2); the same doer «flann» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗

Wait, why wouldn't Flann chat to her?

1. He had to win the kingship first, that's the deal — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Cos the king told him not to talk to women — ← Mova's choice · score 1
3. Cos he's got a wife waiting back home — no support
4. He had to win the kingship first, that's the deal, and the queen made him swear it on his brothers' graves — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 914, line 13: «Her one request: "let no one know that you have a little bird who tells you everything."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «little bird» (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · right ✓

Did Dermod actually get mad about her being out?

1. Yeah, he went absolutely ballistic and threatened to lock her in the tower for the whole week — no support
2. Nah, he laughed it off like it was nothing — no support
3. Nah, he just teased her like it was a big joke, then sent her back to bed with a grin on his face — score 6
4. Nah, he just teased her like it was a big joke — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1053, line 11: «Dermod says "A Sunday journey is a notorious bad journey," which is why he teases her and sends her back to bed.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «tease» (+4); the same thing acted on «dermod» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗

Those clerics were proper creepy, right?

1. Yeah, the lean one with the strangling fingers was mad, and the whole lot of them stank of the lawn fight — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Yeah, the lean one with the strangling fingers was mad — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Yeah, the big one was quite friendly, honestly — no support
4. Nah, the abbot was just a bit grumpy — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗

What did the monks reckon they'd found?

1. some old rings — ← Mova's choice · score -6
2. a cart of cattle and horses — score -6
3. two men's load of gold and silver — ✓ the right answer · score -6
4. a stash of coins in the ditch — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score -6, tied with another option at -6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 228, line 12: «Who: the third baby, a princess, is found by "the intendant of the gardens," just as her brothers were.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. Against it: the same doer «brothers» (-1); the same action «find» (-2). The right option, 3, scored -6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗

So Becfola wanted the monks to get all the gold, yeah?

1. Yeah, cos she reckoned Sunday gold brings bad luck — ✓ the right answer · score 5
2. Yeah, she wanted the monks rich — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. Yeah, cos she reckoned Sunday gold brings bad luck, so the monks should take every last coin of it — no support
4. Nah, she wanted the king to keep half of it — score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1052, line 7: «What she wants: she says "An engagement I have," and she wants her clothes that she "left at a certain place."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «want» (+4); the same doer «becfola» (+2). The right option, 1, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗

Did the king just say yes to her, then?

1. Nah, he shook his head at first then changed — score 5
2. Yeah, he said it'd be done like the queen said — ✓ the right answer · score 6
3. Yeah, he said it'd be done like the queen said, after he'd teased her and laughed about the whole thing — ← Mova's choice · score 7
4. Yeah, he said it'd be done like the queen said, but he's grumbling about it still — score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 7, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1036, line 7: «What: He says he was "the king of the salmon" and swam over the whole sea, where "the sea guards all her creatures."», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «king» (+4); the same doer «tuan» (+3). The right option, 2, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

What's the deal with that weird memorial box?

1. It's a reliquary for his gran, weird as, she had a lamb and a salmon and they're carved all over it — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Dunno, some saint's bones in a box — no support
3. It's a shrine for the dead king, made from silver — no support
4. It's a reliquary for his gran, weird as, she had a lamb and a salmon — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗

Was Becfola feeling bothered about Crimthann at all?

1. Nah, she thought he was dead funny and a bit daft, and she laughed about his lawn fight all morning — no support
2. Nah, she thought he was a bit of a dork — no support
3. Yeah, she kinda missed him and felt bad — ← Mova's choice · score 6
4. Nah, she thought he was dead funny and a bit daft — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1052, line 15: «How Becfola feels in the tree: "a lady does not sit with any ease upon a tree."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «feel» (+4); the same doer «becfola» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗

How many dead guys were there, anyway?

1. Four — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Eight, counting the one still standing on the grass — no support
3. Seven — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Eleven — no support

Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

Did Dermod even look sorry about any of it?

1. Nah, he was grinning through the whole thing — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Yeah, he looked really sorry and kept shaking his head at the clerics' gold for ages — no support
3. Yeah, he looked gutted about his brothers — no support
4. Nah, he was just messing about the whole time — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 13 · ★ · right ✓

So what's the Ard-Ri, like?

1. The High King, the big boss of the whole country — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
2. The High King, the big boss of the whole country, and everyone has to bow to him basically — no support
3. The High King, the big boss of the whole country, who sits at Tara and gets all the tribute — no support
4. The chief lord of the province, sort of — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1051, line 6: «Who: Dermod mac Ae is the High King of all Ireland, and he is unmarried; he has many foster-sons, sent to him by their fathers as tokens of loyalty.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same property (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following best describes the outcome of the combat on the lawn, as narrated in the passage?

1. Seven of the eight combatants were slain and one remained standing. — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. After a long contest, the eighth combatant fled into the woods while the seven others lay slain upon the lawn. — no support
3. Eight combatants fought until only the victor survived, and the rest were carried off by the clerics to Devenish. — no support
4. The contest ended in a truce, with all eight combatants sparing one another. — ← Mova's choice · score -2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score -2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1003, line 9: «Why: the queen makes a flour bag so that the way to the soldier's house can be followed, since the king and queen found "crosses on all the doors in every dire…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. Against it: the same thing acted on «king» (-1); a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

Upon what grounds does the king dismiss Becfola's intended reproach at the time of her return?

1. He cites the king's own oath. — score 3
2. He appeals to the queen's authority over matters of the household. — score 0
3. He calls the hour unlucky and the bargain void for all concerned. — score 3
4. He invokes the impropriety of an engagement made at so early an hour. — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 5, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 693, line 2: «A dying king makes his queen promise never to marry again and always to care for their son.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «make» (+4); the same thing acted on «queen promise» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

What is the principal matter of contention that the four clerics bring before the king?

1. Whether the treasure taken from the seven slain men, being found on a Sunday, may lawfully be given to the Brothers of Devenish at all. — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. The disposition of the treasure taken from the seven slain men. — ✓ the right answer · score 2
3. Whether the seven dead men had any heirs to claim the gold. — score 3
4. The disposition of the treasure taken from the seven slain men, and the matter of the reliquary for the late grandmother. — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 689, line 5: «At the palace he finds the king at dinner, with little black creatures running about the table.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «find» (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+1); a different doer (counts against) (+1). The right option, 2, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which term denotes the High King of Ireland, as employed in the passage?

1. The High King of Ireland, at Tara — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. Tanaiste — no support
3. Supreme monarch of the whole island — no support
4. Ard-Ri — ✓ the right answer · score -8

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 1, against -8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1053, line 6: «Who: Becfola, a king's wife, and Flann, a young man who wants to win the lordship of an island.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «young man» (+1); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: the same doer «young man» (-1). The right option, 4, scored -8. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

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