Tanglewood Tales, The Pomegranate Seeds, part 33: Ceres tests the baby in the fire, then lets the earth go barren

Tests: 4 of 12 right · Exam: 0 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 14 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 2074 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 the queen grabbed the baby out the fire, was he cooked or what?

1. Nah, he was totally fine, no burns — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Nah, mate, he was fine, but the queen dropped him right in the embers and screamed for help — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. Yeah, he got roasted proper bad — no support
4. Yeah, he was properly cooked, all black and crispy, and the queen was devastated — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask a circumstance (with what, when, how). It chose option 2 with score 5, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1808, line 3: «The ship sails off with Iliane, and the old mother of the genius chases them over the sea, breathing fire.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «old mother» (+4); the same thing acted on «fire» (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · right ✓

Bruv, why did Ceres just bail on the palace like that?

1. Cos the queen's nosy meddling spoiled her plan to make the baby immortal, so she left — score -5
2. Cos she was super mad at the whole palace and wanted to go somewhere quiet to sulk — score -4
3. Cos she was grumpy with everyone — no support
4. Cos the queen messed up her plan — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score -3

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score -3, against -4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1354, line 8: «What: the step-mother "fled from the house" and "returned in disgrace to her father's roof," and "nothing more was heard of her."», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1); the same doer «step mother» (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗

Innit wild that Ceres made the whole earth go dead?

1. Yeah, the crops all died off — no support
2. Yeah, no grass, no flowers, no crops, and the farmers were starving to death everywhere — ← Mova's choice · score 0
3. Yeah, the whole world went gray and quiet, with no birds or rivers or anything alive — no support
4. Yeah, no grass, no flowers, nothing — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 489, line 12: «The old man appears "as if rising from the earth" and says "Good-day, good youth!"», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «old man» (+2). Against it: the same circumstance (-1); a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

So is the little prince gonna live forever now or what?

1. Yeah, he's immortal now, sorted — no support
2. Yeah, forever — score 3
3. Nope, he's gonna die like everyone else — ✓ the right answer · score 3
4. Yeah, he's gonna live loads — ← Mova's choice · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1711, line 13: «Who: The old King "received them with joy and gladness", and the Prince and his lovely Bride become his family.», 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 (+3); the same thing acted on «family» (+2); the same doer «prince» (+1). The right option, 3, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗

Proper sus that Proserpina ain't eaten in six months, right?

1. Nope, she snacked on sweets a lot — no support
2. Yeah, not a single bite, no cap — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Yeah, no food — no support
4. Nah, she ate — ← Mova's choice · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2074, line 17: «Proserpina has eaten "not a morsel" for six months, and she refuses all the sweetmeats Pluto offers her.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «eat» (+3); the same doer «proserpina» (+2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · right ✓

Ngl, how did Quicksilver get past the three-headed dog?

1. He jumped right over it with a flying leap, cos he's fast like that — score -1
2. He tossed it a sweet treat — no support
3. He jumped right over it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score -1
4. He charmed it to sleep — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 3 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 1612, line 12: «In a park they meet "a big, big dog" who comes springing at them "showing all his teeth".», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same circumstance (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★ · right ✓

Mate, what did Pluto actually try to give her to make her happy?

1. Honey cakes and sweet wine — score 1
2. Gold — score 1
3. Sweets — score 1
4. Gems that were dug up for her — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2074, line 18: «Pluto offers her gems, but Proserpina says they are "Not half so pretty" as a violet, and flings them away.», 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 (+3); the same thing acted on «gems» (+2); the same doer «pluto» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗

Lol, so Proserpina chucked the gems across the room, right?

1. Yeah, she flung them all the way to the far end of the hall and then sulked by the door — score 1
2. Yeah, she tossed them to the back — score 1
3. Yeah, she flung them to the far end — ✓ the right answer · score 1
4. Nah, she picked them up and looked at them real close before dropping them on the floor — ← Mova's choice · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 5, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2073, line 9: «Cerberus is the three-headed dog who guards the iron gates of Pluto's kingdom, so Proserpina seems trapped there forever.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «seem» (+3); the same doer «proserpina» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 1. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

Wait, the cattle were just following Ceres around, weren't they?

1. Yeah, following her everywhere, lowing and bleating for help because they were starving — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. Nah, they stayed in the barn, lowing and bleating and waiting for someone to feed them — score 5
3. Yeah, lowing and bleating for help — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Yeah, wandering around crying out — 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 1224, line 16: «Thakane answers that she gave the milk to Koane, "the keeper of beasts," because the cattle would starve.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «starve» (+3); the same doer «cattle» (+2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★ · right ✓

Bare sad that the queen's own kid had to lose out, yeah?

1. Yeah, he lost his chance at living forever, cos his mum got all emotional and burned him — score 5
2. Yeah, he lost his place in line — no support
3. Yeah, he lost his chance at living forever — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. Yeah, he got no royal life at all — score -2

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 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 362, line 2: «At sunset he finds himself alone and runs bleating across the field, where the Wolf is waiting by a clump of trees.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «find» (+3); the same doer «kid» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗

Dead cool that the palace got brighter when she came, though?

1. Yeah, it got way lighter and cheerful — no support
2. Nah, it still felt super dismal and grey, even though she was there sitting in the hall — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. Yeah, it felt like sunshine and flowers came in with her, lovely and warm, all of it — score 4
4. Yeah, it felt like sunshine came in with her — ✓ the right answer · score 2

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 1846, line 5: «He rides to the palace, but the gatekeepers do not recognise him and refuse to let him pass in.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «ride» (+3); the same doer «prince» (+2); the same place «palace» (+1). The right option, 4, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

Right, so how long did Ceres keep the crops from growing?

1. Until Pluto gave up and let Proserpina leave, then she started letting the crops grow — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Until her daughter came back — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Until Jupiter sent her home — no support
4. Until her daughter came back up from the underworld and the earth turned green again — 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 ✗

To what extent did Queen Metanira's intervention alter the destiny of Prince Demophoon?

1. It deprived him of immortality — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. It left him unharmed but deprived him of the immortal life that Ceres had been preparing for him — ← Mova's choice · score -3
3. It made him a mortal king — no support
4. It deprived him of immortality, which Ceres had planned to grant him, by her meddling — score -4

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score -3, against -4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2074, line 9: «Why: Ceres wants to make the boy immortal, but the queen's fear ruins her plan.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «make» (+2). Against it: it fills the role the question asks for (-1); the same doer «ceres» (-2). 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 · wrong ✗

Which action of Ceres is most clearly motivated by her grief for Proserpina?

1. Her gift of grain to Triptolemus — no support
2. Her wandering — ← Mova's choice · score 3
3. The withholding of all growth from the earth — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. The sending of the herald to Pluto — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2073, line 8: «Hecate loves gloom and tells Ceres to come with her to the cavern, but Ceres would rather "wander about the earth in quest of the entrance."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «wander» (+2); the same doer «ceres» (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

How does the narrator characterise Proserpina's endurance of her fast in the palace?

1. As weakness — score 2
2. As a remarkable and creditable self-restraint — ✓ the right answer · score 2
3. As an ordinary, expected good manner — score 1
4. As a sad and pitiable form of hunger — ← Mova's choice · score 3

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 4 with score 3, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1973, line 15: «At the river a man makes a bridge by casting a tree across, and he gives Jack a stick that obeys the words "Up stick and bang him".», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «make» (+3). The right option, 2, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

What is the principal function of Quicksilver's embassy to King Pluto within the narrative?

1. To arrange a marriage between Proserpina and Pluto — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. To procure the return of Proserpina and also to bring Pluto a message from Jupiter about his realm of the dead — no support
3. To procure the return of Proserpina to the upper world, where Ceres had been searching for her in grief — no support
4. To procure the return of Proserpina to the upper world — ✓ 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

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