Tanglewood Tales, The Minotaur, part 7: Ariadne frees Theseus and gives him a silken string to find his way through the maze.

Tests: 4 of 14 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 15 of 18 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 2048 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 ✗

yo so who was the princess that came sneaking to the dungeon?

1. Ariadne of the royal house — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Ariadne — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Pasiphae — no support
4. the king's daughter Ariadne — 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 2 · ★ · wrong ✗

no cap, what time did she show up at the cell?

1. shortly after sunset — ← Mova's choice · score 0
2. at noon — score 0
3. at dawn — score 0
4. just before midnight — ✓ the right answer · score 0

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 0, tied with another option at 0 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1337, line 10: «Her words "Never again shall I rise from this bed" show that she knows she is going to die.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «show» (+2). Against it: the same doer «words» (-2). The right option, 4, scored 0. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗

ngl, what did she hand him that the guards had taken?

1. a shield — ← Mova's choice · score -2
2. his helmet — no support
3. the sword and the shield the guards took — no support
4. his sword — ✓ the right answer · score -2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 1408, line 16: «Another old word: "bridled" means the animal had a bridle put on its head so it can be led.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. Against it: the same thing acted on «old word» (-1); a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, scored -2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

bruh, how did he not get lost in that maze?

1. by memory alone — ← Mova's choice · score -1
2. by luck — score -1
3. by following the old map — no support
4. by holding a silken string — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. 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 306, line 10: «Her slippers were "very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn", so one was lost in the street and the other was taken.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «lose» (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-1); the same thing acted on «one» (-2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗

fr, who built that maze in the first place?

1. Daedalus, father of Icarus, long ago — ← Mova's choice · score 8
2. Daedalus — ✓ the right answer · score 8
3. Icarus — score 8
4. Hephaestus — score 8

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1552, line 8: «Where: the bargain is made on the great market-place, in front of the town hall, and the piper turns his back on the church.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same place «great market place» (+4); the same action «make» (+3); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). The right option, 2, scored 8. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗

sus, how did she open the wall?

1. she pulled a rope — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. she pressed a block of marble — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. she turned an iron ring — no support
4. she lifted a heavy stone — 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 · ★ · right ✓

deadass, what did the king tell his daughter to do?

1. go water your flowers — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
2. tend the garden at dawn — no support
3. go find the guards and tell them your orders — no support
4. stay inside — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2048, line 2: «Ariadne, the king's tender daughter, begs for the prisoners, but her father tells her to go water her flowers.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+5); a different doer (counts against) (+1). Against it: the same thing acted on «water» (-1); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · right ✓

yo, did Theseus wanna bail on the whole mission?

1. no, he wanted to stay with the princess and forget the quest — score 4
2. yes, he tried to leave — score 4
3. yes, he wanted to bail out — score 4
4. no, he wanted to slay the Minotaur — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 5, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2048, line 14: «Why: Theseus will not leave Crete until he can "slay the Minotaur" and "deliver Athens from this cruel tribute."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «slay» (+3); the same doer «theseus» (+1); the same thing acted on «minotaur» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · right ✓

lowkey, what kind of sound did the Minotaur make?

1. a bellow like a stampede — no support
2. a roar like a bull with a human voice — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 1
3. a loud bellow — no support
4. a shrill whistle like a flute at night — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2048, line 17: «Why: the Minotaur's roar is "so like a bull's roar" and also "so like a human voice," which makes it strange and frightening.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «make» (+2); a different doer (counts against) (+1). Against it: the same thing acted on «roar» (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗

bruh, what was the king's vibe like?

1. kind and gentle — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. calm and patient — no support
3. angry, shouting at his guards — no support
4. cruel, like he wanted to eat them — ✓ the right answer · 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 11 · ★ · wrong ✗

lowkey, what did the prisoners do in the dungeon?

1. sobbed quietly in the dark until they finally fell asleep — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. they sang and laughed — no support
3. fought with the guards all night — no support
4. sobbed themselves to sleep — ✓ the right answer · score 0

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 1 with score 1, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2034, line 2: «The Student goes to his room, thinks only of his books and cleverness, and falls asleep on his little bed.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same property (+1); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, scored 0. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

no cap, what did the Minotaur's body look like?

1. a bull's head with a man's arms and legs and a tail — ← Mova's choice · score 0
2. bull's head on a man-ish body — ✓ the right answer · score 0
3. a man with a bull's tail — score 0
4. a man with horns and hooves — score 0

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 0, tied with another option at 0 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 6, line 10: «Alice thinks it "very absurd" (silly), but they look so grave (serious) that she dares not laugh, so she just bows.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «look» (+2). Against it: the same doer «words» (-2). The right option, 2, scored 0. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 13 · ★ · wrong ✗

fr, what was on the other end of the string?

1. Ariadne's hand — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. the hand of the princess Ariadne waiting at the gate — no support
3. the old door — ← Mova's choice · score 3
4. Minos's cold hand holding the far end tight — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 3, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1906, line 21: «"Bite" and "bit" in the title are old words for a trick that backfires, so the cheats are cheated in the end.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «old words» (+2); the same property (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 14 · ★ · right ✓

yo, what did Theseus say when she asked if he'd go home?

1. No, I will never leave Crete — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score -1
2. Yes, I will sail home now — score -5
3. Yes, I will go home with you as soon as the dawn comes up — no support
4. No, I will never leave Crete until I have slain the Minotaur and wiped out the king's shame — score -1

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 2048, line 14: «Why: Theseus will not leave Crete until he can "slay the Minotaur" and "deliver Athens from this cruel tribute."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which object did Ariadne bestow upon Theseus to secure his return from the labyrinth?

1. a silver sword — ← Mova's choice · score -1
2. a rope — score -2
3. a silken string — ✓ the right answer · score -2
4. a silken string tied to the bronze door — score -2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score -1, against -2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2044, line 2: «Under it his mother Aethra shows him his father's golden-hilted sword and a pair of sandals.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same circumstance (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2); a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 3, scored -2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

By what means did Ariadne gain passage through the marble wall?

1. pressure applied upon a particular block of marble by her own hand — no support
2. the turning of an iron ring — score 4
3. pressing hard upon the marble block near the old gate — score 0
4. pressure upon a particular block — ← 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 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1967, line 17: «Old word: "pelters" meant rushing off fast, a bit like "legging it" today.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «mean» (+5); the same thing acted on «bit» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

What was the designation of the creature that Theseus sought at the labyrinth's center?

1. the Cretan king — ← Mova's choice · score -1
2. the beast — no support
3. a bull-man — score -1
4. the Minotaur — ✓ 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 1953, line 5: «The master remembers the open book, hurries back, and speaks the right words that send the demon back to his fiery home.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: a different doer (counts against) (+1). Against it: the same thing acted on «right words» (-2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓

Which phrase best characterizes King Minos's response to Ariadne's entreaty?

1. he rejected her plea with contempt — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
2. he agreed quickly — score 4
3. he granted her a kind reply — score 4
4. he ignored her — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. 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 1512, line 18: «"Entreaties" means urgent pleas, which is why his parents' begging does not change his mind.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same doer «word» (+1); a different action (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

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