Russian Tales, The Straw Ox: a clever old woman tricks a hungry bear with a tar-smeared straw ox

Tests: 4 of 13 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 13 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 1113 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 · ★ · wrong ✗

ok so the old lady makes a straw ox, right?

1. yeah, and then the bear runs off to the woods — no support
2. yeah, and then the bear gets totally stuck in the tar and the ox drags him off across the steppe — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. yeah, and then the bear gets totally stuck in the tar — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. yeah, the old lady makes a straw ox, then the bear comes out from the pines and gets totally stuck in the tar, like, forever — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1113, line 5: «The bear tears at the tar to patch his ragged fur, gets his teeth stuck fast, and the ox drags him away goodness knows where.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ox» (+2); the same thing acted on «bear» (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗

wait, why was the grandma so broke?

1. cause every single kopek went on bread, like, zero savings — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. cause every single kopek went on bread and soup, and the old man gave the rest to the church, like, zero savings — ← Mova's choice · score 3
3. cause they spent it all on fancy hats, like, duh — no support
4. cause every single kopek went on bread and the rent for the hut, so they had nothing left, like, zero savings at all — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1032, line 5: «At the end, old Winter sits on a snowy hill and waits for the stork to return, so that spring can come again.», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «old winter» (+3). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗

bro the bear was so dumb, right?

1. totally, he just kept pulling and pulling till he couldn't let go, which is why the ox dragged him off across the steppe — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. totally, he just ran off really fast — score 4
3. totally, he just kept pulling and pulling till he couldn't let go — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. totally, he just kept pulling and pulling till he couldn't let go, and then he cried for his mum — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1113, line 5: «The bear tears at the tar to patch his ragged fur, gets his teeth stuck fast, and the ox drags him away goodness knows where.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ox» (+2); the same thing acted on «bear» (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

what's a pitch-burner even, lol

1. a dude who burns wood under dirt to make that black sticky tar for carts and boats — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. a guy who spins flax all day — no support
3. a dude who burns wood to make that black sticky tar — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. a dude who burns straw to make ash — 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 5 · ★ · wrong ✗

so the ox was just straw and tar, no way

1. yeah, it was basically a big dummy with a tar coat that the old woman made on the hillock — score 3
2. kinda, it was a wooden horse with paint — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. yeah, it was basically a big dummy with a tar coat — ✓ the right answer · score 3
4. yeah, it was basically a big dummy with a tar coat, and it even talked to the bear, so wild — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1113, line 4: «A hungry bear bursts out of the dark wood and asks the ox who it is, and the ox answers that it is stuffed with straw and trimmed with tar.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ox» (+2); the same thing acted on «ox» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 3, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · right ✓

why was grandma spinning, like, all day

1. to make flax into thread, that's how they got by — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 1
2. to make flax into thread, that's how they got by, and she sang while she worked on the hillock — score 1
3. to make cloth, that's how they lived — no support
4. to knit socks for the village — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 1, tied with another option at 1 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1113, line 19: «Old word: a "distaff" is a stick that holds the flax or wool while you spin it into thread.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same place «thread» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗

did the ox talk back to the bear?

1. yep, it said it was a three-year-old heifer, which is so savage, and then it kept walking away — score 5
2. kinda, it said it was a goat, lol — score 4
3. yep, it said it was a horse, which is so weird — ← Mova's choice · score 6
4. yep, it said it was a three-year-old heifer, which is so savage — ✓ the right answer · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1113, line 4: «A hungry bear bursts out of the dark wood and asks the ox who it is, and the ox answers that it is stuffed with straw and trimmed with tar.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ox» (+2); the same thing acted on «ox» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 4, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗

bet the bear was mad when he got stuck

1. he was beyond fuming, he just tugged and tugged until the tar stuck his whole face to the ox — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. he was beyond fuming, he just tugged and tugged — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. he was beyond fuming, he just tugged and tugged, and then he started yelling at the ox for an hour — no support
4. he was so mad, he just roared and ran — 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 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

this tale is so random, honestly

1. it's wild, but the old woman totally outsmarted everyone, which is honestly the best part of the whole story — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. it's wild, but the old woman totally outsmarted everyone, even the bear and the old man who thought it was foolish — score 5
3. it's wild, but the bear totally outsmarted everyone — no support
4. it's wild, but the old woman totally outsmarted everyone — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 466, line 20: «Old word: "skazka" is the Russian word for a folk tale, the kind this book collects.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «russian word» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2); the same circumstance (+1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★ · right ✓

what's a steppe, is it a forest?

1. nope, it's a dark wood full of pines — no support
2. nope, it's a huge wide grassy plain with no trees, where the cows graze in summer — score 6
3. nope, it's a huge wide grassy plain with no trees, only the dark wood far behind the pines — score 6
4. nope, it's a huge wide grassy plain with no trees — ← 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 1098, line 20: «Old word: "steppe" is a vast, flat, grassy plain where the wind blows freely, unlike a field with fences.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «steppe» (+2); the same thing acted on «vast flat grassy plain» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · right ✓

how'd the ox get dragged off, like, fast?

1. it just walked and the bear fell — no support
2. it just kept walking slowly and pulled the bear along — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
3. it rolled down the hill — no support
4. it just ran fast — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 with score 5, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1113, line 5: «The bear tears at the tar to patch his ragged fur, gets his teeth stuck fast, and the ox drags him away goodness knows where.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: a different action (counts against) (+3); the same doer «ox» (+1); the same thing acted on «bear» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

was the old man on board with the plan?

1. nope, he was like, you're being foolish, woman, but he later said it was a clever plan — ← Mova's choice · score 6
2. nope, he was like, you're being silly, dear — no support
3. nope, he was like, you're being foolish, woman — ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. nope, he was like, you're being foolish, woman, and he went off to burn pitch in the fields — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 987, line 2: «Years later a man reads the book and calls the flower a "summer gauk", a poor fool who came too early.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «read» (+2); the same doer «man» (+2); the same property (+2). The right option, 3, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 13 · ★ · right ✓

so who wins this one, the old folks or the bear

1. the old folks win, the bear gets stuck and dragged away — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. the bear wins, the ox is dragged home — no support
3. the old folks win, the bear runs off free — no support
4. the old folks win, lol — 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

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following most accurately describes the device by which the elderly woman effects the capture of the bear?

1. A straw ox smeared with tar, which the bear attacks in order to repair his ragged fur, after the old woman has sung to it on the steppe — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. A clay ox painted with honey, which the bear eats to fill his belly — no support
3. A straw ox smeared with tar, which the bear attacks in order to repair his fur — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. A pine-wood cow coated in wax, which the bear sniffs to find food — 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

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

State the material of which the ox is composed, and the substance applied to its surface, as described in the narrative.

1. Straw, smeared over with tar — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
2. Straw, smeared over with tar that the old man burned in the fields — score 2
3. Wool, smeared over with honey — no support
4. Straw, bound with flax thread and smeared over with pitch from the old man's fields — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 2, tied with another option at 2 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1113, line 2: «The old woman tells her husband to make a straw ox and smear it all over with tar, and he thinks she has lost her wits.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+2); the same circumstance (+1); a different action (counts against) (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the circumstance which permits the bear to approach the ox unobserved, as recorded in the narrative.

1. The old man, tired from work, drops his tools and sleeps — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. The old woman, overcome with drowsiness after a long day at the spindle, allows her head to droop and dozes behind the hillock — no support
3. The old woman, overcome with drowsiness, allows her head to droop and dozes — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. The old woman, overcome with drowsiness, allows her head to droop and dozes, while the ox continues grazing unwatched in the steppe — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 765, line 19: «Old word: "yoked" meant harnessed to a cart or plough; farmers still use this word for oxen.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «farmers» (+2); the same thing acted on «word» (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓

Explain the manner in which the tale concludes, with reference to the fate of the bear.

1. The bear, having fastened his claws upon the flax, is released and runs away by the pines — score 4
2. The ox, having tugged the bear's ears, is set free and returns to the hut — no support
3. The bear, having fastened his teeth upon the tar, cannot release them, and the ox drags him away across the steppe while the old woman laughs behind the hillock — score 5
4. The bear, having fastened his teeth upon the tar, cannot release them and is dragged away by the ox — ← 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, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1113, line 5: «The bear tears at the tar to patch his ragged fur, gets his teeth stuck fast, and the ox drags him away goodness knows where.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «drag away» (+2); the same doer «ox» (+2); the same property (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

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