Russian Tales, Ivan the Fool, part 31: Ivan's millstone scatters robbers, and his magic fife sets a parson dancing into a hedge

Tests: 7 of 13 right · Exam: 3 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 15 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 1125 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 the fool really drop a millstone on the robbers' soup, or is that just a made-up thing?

1. Nope, it was a dream — no support
2. Yep, he tossed a heavy stone on their lunch and it squashed — no support
3. Yep, he dropped it right in the cauldron, and the pottage hit their eyes — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
4. Nah, he just stood there and yelled at the robbers loudly — 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 1125, line 2: «Robbers arrive, light a fire, and start boiling supper under the tree, and then Ivan drops the millstone into their cauldron, so they run off and leave their l…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same place «cauldron» (+4); the same action «drop» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗

ngl, why'd the two smart brothers climb the tippy-top of the oak?

1. Cause the one with the big beard told them the top had the best honey and sweet apples — no support
2. Because they wanted to see the whole valley — ← Mova's choice · score -3
3. Cause they wanted to dodge the robbers — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Cause they wanted to spy on the village — 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 1089, line 7: «What: from the top of a tree he sees "a glimmering light, like that of a candle."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. Against it: the same doer «thumb» (-1); a different thing acted on (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 3 · ★ · right ✓

bruh, what did Ivan trade the incense for?

1. A whole herd of cows and a fancy silver flute that can play any song in the world — no support
2. A fife that makes everyone dance — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11
3. Nothing, he just gave it away to the poor widow down the lane for free — score 1
4. A sack of flour and some salt — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask a circumstance (with what, when, how). It chose option 2 with score 11, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1125, line 3: «Ivan trades his incense to St Peter for a magic fife that makes everyone dance, and he plays it at once, sending the forest animals dancing.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «everyone dance» (+6); the same action «make» (+4); the same doer «magic fife» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

lowkey, who even is St Peter in this story?

1. He's the apostle who was at the gate and checked Ivan's bag — score 4
2. He's the saint who tells the cattle when to eat — no support
3. He's the saint who grabbed the incense and gave Ivan the fife — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. He's the robber chief who stole the incense from the church and then sold the fife to the village parson for a silver coin — ← Mova's choice · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 706, line 10: «Why: The dogs come only at the last call, because Peter shrieks "or I am a dead man!"», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «peter» (+2); the same thing acted on «dead man» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · right ✓

so the cows and the wolves all danced with Ivan, right? no cap?

1. Yeah, the goats and the sheep and the dogs all sang loudly — no support
2. Yeah, the cattle and the wolves and the hares and the foxes and the bears all danced with him through the whole forest and village square — score 7
3. Nope, only the cattle danced, the wolves just stood there and watched Ivan play the fife from a distance on the hill — score 4
4. Yeah, the cattle and the wolves and the hares all danced with him — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 149, line 5: «A labourer kills a snake for biting his child, the snake refuses to be friends, a caged bird is mocked by a bat, and a wolf dances to a kid's tune before the g…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same action «dance» (+2); the same doer «wolf» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗

fam, what happened to the parson when he went to spy on Ivan?

1. He danced right into a prickly hedge where his cassock tore off and he ended up running home naked through the town in tatters — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. He went to the church to pray, then got lost in the forest and was eaten by a wolf named Grishka — score 5
3. He danced into a prickly hedge and got shredded up — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. He hid in the barn and got caught by the cows — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. 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 1125, line 16: «Where the parson danced: "in the midst of the prickly hedge", which was a quickset hedge.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «dance» (+3); the same place «midst» (+1); a different doer (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗

ok but why were the cows all skinny by the end of the day?

1. They danced so hard they couldn't eat their grass — ✓ the right answer · score -2
2. They danced all day and then Ivan made them run around the whole village again at night until dawn — ← Mova's choice · score -1
3. The parson had stolen their grass for his own horses and left them with nothing to eat at all — score -4
4. Ivan forgot to take them out to the field — score -2

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score -1, against -2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 94, line 1: «Wild Cow comes next and promises her milk every day for the wonderful grass; she becomes the Giver of Good Food. Then no one else comes, so the Cat walks up by…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. Against it: the same doer «wild cow» (-1). The right option, 1, scored -2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · right ✓

what's a karbovantsya, is it like a dollar or what?

1. It's an old Ukrainian silver coin, worth about four shillings in the old days when people paid their rent in them — score 6
2. It's a silver tool for weighing grain, not really money — no support
3. It's an old Ukrainian coin, worth about four shillings — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
4. It's a Ukrainian dessert made from honey, cream and sugar, and people eat it at weddings and funerals — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 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 1125, line 19: «Old word: a karbovantsya was an old Ukrainian coin, worth about four shillings according to the book's note.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «karbovantsya» (+2); the same thing acted on «old ukrainian coin» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

wait, so the parson's just running around in his underwear through town?

1. Nope, he's got a fine new cassock on and people are bowing to him as he walks through the market at noon — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Yeah, he's in rags with his body showing and people are hooting — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Nah, he's dressed up nicely and people are clapping softly — no support
4. Yeah, he's in rags with his body showing all over the place and the whole town is hooting and laughing at him in the square — 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 ✗

did Ivan really just play his fife and everyone in town started dancing?

1. Yep, the whole town danced with eggs, pancakes and even no trousers, and the parson ended up running through the streets in rags — no support
2. Yes, but only the children danced at first, then the adults joined in with baskets of cakes and their tools — no support
3. Yep, people danced with eggs, pancakes and even no trousers — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Nope, only the cattle danced when he played the tune — ← Mova's choice · score 3

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1125, line 4: «In the town he plays for the crowds, then takes a job with a parson who sends him to mind the cattle.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ivan» (+2); the same action «play» (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · right ✓

ngl, why'd the robbers run off and leave all their stuff?

1. The pottage flew in their eyes and they got scared — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. They were scared — no support
3. The dog barked and they panicked — no support
4. They got hungry — 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 12 · ★ · right ✓

ok so what's kvas, like is it soda pop or what?

1. It's a thick porridge made from oats and honey, usually eaten warm with butter and salt for breakfast — no support
2. It's a fizzy drink made from fermented bread — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
3. A kind of sour milk drink made from cows — score 2
4. It's a fizzy drink made from fermented rye bread and sugar, and people drink it all summer long at festivals — score 7

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1102, line 15: «Old word: a kvas is a sour drink made from fermented bread, still popular in Russia today, and the huntsman wished for "sour kvas" in his tale.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3); the same doer «kvas» (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 13 · ★ · right ✓

why'd Ivan keep playing even when the animals were worn out?

1. He was having too much fun to stop and didn't care — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
2. He wanted to win a bet with the parson — score 2
3. He liked noise — score 2
4. He forgot the animals were tired — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). 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 1037, line 2: «His mother cannot keep him near her, because the sons of Morna killed his father and she fears them.», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «sons» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · right ✓

Which of the following best describes the outcome of Ivan's dropping of the millstone into the robbers' cauldron?

1. The robbers ate the soup and then went home to bed — score -4
2. They fled — no support
3. The robbers fled in terror, leaving their booty behind for the brothers — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score -1
4. Robbers ran — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score -1, against -4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1125, line 2: «Robbers arrive, light a fire, and start boiling supper under the tree, and then Ivan drops the millstone into their cauldron, so they run off and leave their l…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same property (+2); the same action «leave» (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-4). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

With reference to the text, what was the principal cause of the parson's injuries?

1. The fact that he tried to climb over the quickset hedge to catch Ivan red-handed, and then was caught by the thorns while dancing wildly — no support
2. Being attacked by the wolves that followed Ivan into the pasture while he crawled through the field toward the haystack — no support
3. Ivan's magic fife cutting him with sharp blasts of sound — no support
4. His own dancing within the thorny quickset hedge while Ivan played — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1125, line 5: «When Ivan plays again, the cattle dance themselves thin, and the spying parson dances into a thorny hedge, is torn to rags, and runs through town where people…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same action «dance» (+2); the same doer «spying parson» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the exchange by which Ivan obtained the magic fife, as narrated in the passage.

1. He surrendered the bag of incense to St Peter in return for the instrument — ✓ the right answer · score 4
2. He traded it — score 2
3. He handed over his gold coins to St Peter and was given the fife as payment — score 4
4. He gave St Peter the bag and got a fife — ← Mova's choice · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 7, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1125, line 12: «Why Ivan got the fife: he gave St Peter the incense, asking for "a fife of such a sort that whenever I play upon it, every one will be obliged to dance".», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same receiver «st peter» (+3); the same action «give» (+2); the same doer «ivan» (+2). The right option, 1, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓

State the most accurate description of the events that followed Ivan's employment by the parson.

1. The cows danced — no support
2. The cattle got tired and the parson got hurt — no support
3. The cattle were exhausted by dancing, and the parson was injured when he spied — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
4. The fields were flooded, the cattle drowned, and the parson fled the village — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1125, line 15: «Why the parson went to spy: he was "not a little astonished" and wanted to see where Ivan led the cattle.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «parson» (+2); the same action «spy» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

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