Russian Folk-Tales, Vassili and Mark the Rich, part 6: Vassili visits the Serpent King and tricks him out of Mark's ships

Tests: 5 of 13 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 12 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 1755 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 ✗

Bro, why did Mark even send Vassili to the Serpent King?

1. To get the rent money and also to be rid of a rival forever — score 5
2. To win a bet — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. To get rent and get rid of him — ✓ the right answer · score 6
4. To test his courage — score 6

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). 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 1755, line 7: «What: Mark sends him to the Serpent King to collect rent and ask about his twelve ships.», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «mark» (+4); a different action (counts against) (+1); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗

No cap, did the whale really swallow Mark's ships?

1. Yes, but only ten — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Yes, every single one of the twelve ships, with all the sailors aboard them — no support
3. Yes, all twelve of them — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. No, none of them — 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 3 · ★ · wrong ✗

Ngl, what did the girl hide Vassili in?

1. A trunk in the hall — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. A box by the door — no support
3. A chest under the bed — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. A large wooden chest hidden under the bed behind a curtain — 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 4 · ★ · right ✓

Fr, what did the oak actually have under its roots?

1. Old coins — score -3
2. Gold and silver — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
3. Gold and silver coins from the twelve sunken ships of Mark — score -3
4. Bronze bells — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 2, against -3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1755, line 11: «The oak is "Rotten to the roots, half dead but still green," and it hides gold and silver.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+1); a different doer (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · right ✓

Bruh, why did the Serpent King lie down and snore?

1. He was tired from flying — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
2. He was ill — score 4
3. He was full — score 4
4. He was bored there — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). 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 117, line 11: «He lies down to rest, sleeps too long, and wakes when "it struck the quarter to twelve."», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «maiden» (+4); a different action (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · right ✓

Sus, how did the beggars check the letter?

1. They blew on it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. They burned it — no support
3. They sniffed it — no support
4. They blew on it and then waited until the seal began to melt slowly — 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 7 · ★ · wrong ✗

Lowkey, what did Vassili do to the ferryman at the end?

1. Set him free from rowing by taking his oar and promising to row himself — ← Mova's choice · score 2
2. Set him free from rowing — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Sent him to war — no support
4. Made him a king — score 0

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 1 with score 2, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1755, line 12: «The ferryman has rowed "for thirty years" and wants to stop rowing at last.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · right ✓

Be real, what did the girl pretend to dream about?

1. A wide road and an oak — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score -4
2. A castle and a gate — score -5
3. A wide road leading to a great oak tree with golden roots under it — no support
4. A river and a tree — score -5

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score -4, against -5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 941, line 1: «The blind girl sets out into the wide world, holding fast to her invisible thread.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. Against it: the same doer «blind girl» (-2); a different action (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

Ok so what did Mark's second letter say to do?

1. Send the bearer to war — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Give the bearer his daughter's hand and a large dowry of gold coins — no support
3. Hire the bearer as a clerk — no support
4. Marry the bearer to his daughter — ✓ 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 ✗

Wait, how long did the whale lie across the strait?

1. Three years across the whole width of the strait without moving once — no support
2. Four years — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. Three years — ✓ the right answer · score 6
4. Five years — score 6

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. 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 1755, line 13: «The whale has lain "three years across the strait," and men and horses have trampled its back.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «whale» (+5); the same action «lie» (+1). The right option, 3, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗

Real talk, what did Mark want the king to pay him?

1. Two years of rent — score 1
2. Twenty years of taxes — score 1
3. All the rent owed to him for the twelve years since his father died — ← Mova's choice · score 4
4. Twelve years of rent — ✓ the right answer · score 1

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 4, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1055, line 17: «Old word: "Lochlannachs" were the Norsemen, here the Danes, and "tribute" was payment owed to a king or lord.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «owe» (+3); the same receiver «king» (+1). The right option, 4, scored 1. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

Ok fr, what did the ferryman row for?

1. Twenty years — ← Mova's choice · score -6
2. Thirty years — ✓ the right answer · score -6
3. Three years — score -6
4. Thirty years of rowing without any rest or pay at all — no support

Why: It took the question to ask a circumstance (with what, when, how). 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 1330, line 14: «Old word: a "skiff" is a small open boat, rowed or sailed, and it is still used as a name for a light rowing boat.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1); it fills the role the question asks for (-2). The right option, 2, scored -6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 13 · ★ · right ✓

Yo, what did Vassili take with him for the trip?

1. A large bag of dry biscuits, cheese and a flask of water for the trip — score 5
2. A sack of apples — score 5
3. A flask of wine — score 5
4. A bag of biscuits — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 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 32, line 4: «They walk five or six miles to the nearest town, Toad trailing after them, thanking the Rat for bringing him on the trip where he saw that «swan, that sunbeam,…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «bring» (+3); a different doer (counts against) (+2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). Against it: the same circumstance (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following describes the action Vassili undertakes towards the old oak upon his return journey?

1. He strikes it hard with an axe until it splits — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. He applies pressure with his foot until the oak collapses onto the road and blocks the path behind him completely — no support
3. He kicks it with a heavy boot until it falls — score 1
4. He applies pressure with his foot until the oak collapses — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 1295, line 8: «Where: the action moves from the farmers' hut to a neighbour's plum tree, a roadside tavern, and a river with a rock that "juts into" it.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «move» (+3). Against it: the same doer «action» (-2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

Identify the substance which the Serpent King had swallowed and was compelled to return, as stipulated by the young girl.

1. The twelve ships of Mark the Rich — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The twelve horses of the king — no support
3. The silver of Mark the Rich — no support
4. The twelve ships of Mark the Rich together with all their sailors and cargo — 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 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

State the precise condition under which the ferryman may be released from his duty of rowing across the river.

1. A new boatman must come — no support
2. A substitute must be placed in the boat to take his position — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Someone must row for him — no support
4. Another man must sit in the boat for him — ← Mova's choice · score -1

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score -1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1515, line 3: «On the last night Ivan steals the sorry colt from the stable and rides it to the fiery river, where his handkerchief builds a bridge.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. Against it: the same action «ride» (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Determine the reason which the beautiful girl gives for Vassili's presence at the castle, as expressed in her opening words.

1. He has been dispatched there to deliver a letter that will bring about his own destruction at last — ← Mova's choice · score -3
2. He has been dispatched there for his own destruction — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. He was sent there to deliver a letter — no support
4. He was sent there to carry a letter from his master — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score -3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 206, line 1: «Vizir Khacan searches for a slave clever and lovely enough for the king, and at last a dealer brings him a Persian girl.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same place «last» (+1). Against it: the same action «bring» (-1); a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

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