The Wind in the Willows, chapter III, part 2: The Wild Wood (the faces, the whistling, the pattering — and the Rat sets out)

Tests: 6 of 17 right · Exam: 0 of 4 right · Kind: ★★★ · Understood: 10 of 21 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 34 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. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.

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 ✗

Ellie, proper bricking it (very scared) reading this: «the Mole saw a face, so he walked right up and said hello.» Put it right.

1. He turned round quickly and bowed low, and the face soon vanished into the dark — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. He walked up and it disappeared — no support
3. He stood still and waited, and then he said hello to the strange small face — no support
4. He turned to face it and it vanished — ✓ 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 2 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Why is it so scary that the faces vanish when the Mole turns?

1. He can't tell where they went — score 2
2. Because they only appear when he is looking and then they go away completely — no support
3. Because the faces are made of shadows that cannot be touched or seen by anyone else — ← Mova's choice · score 4
4. He can never be sure they're real — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 3 with score 4, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 12: «The White Rabbit corrects him: «Unimportant, your Majesty means, of course», frowning and making faces; the King mutters «important—unimportant—» as if trying…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «make» (+3); the same thing acted on «faces» (+1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

The writer says «Then the faces began.» — «Then the whistling began.» — «Then the pattering began.» Why repeat «Then ... began»?

1. Each new fear stacks on the last, building the tension step by step toward the terrible climax of the chapter — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Each new fear piles on, like steps to a climax — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Each sentence is a new question — no support
4. The repetition lets the reader hear the Mole's breathing slow down as he sinks into the wood — 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 ✓

Tyler, bit sketchy about it: «the rabbit came to help the Mole, yer man (that fella) was dead kind.» Is he right?

1. No, he ran off to fetch help — no support
2. No: he just dashed by and yelled — no support
3. No: he dashed past and only shouted «get out!» — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
4. Yes: he stopped to help the Mole out — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 34, line 10: «A rabbit «almost brushed him as it dashed past, his face set and hard, his eyes staring. "Get out of this, you fool, get out!"», and dived down «a friendly bur…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «dash» (+2); the same property (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★★★ · right ✓

The whistling seems «caught up and passed on throughout the whole length of the wood». What does that suggest?

1. Many creatures signalling to each other — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The Mole's own ears playing tricks on him as he runs in circles through the trees — no support
3. Hundreds of creatures pretending to be ghosts and laughing at the Mole's fear — no support
4. Animals passing a warning along the line — 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 6 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Why does the Mole run «aimlessly»?

1. Because the path has become completely blocked by fallen trees and the whistling is following him — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. He's trying to find the Rat quickly — score 3
3. Because he is frightened and wants to escape, but he cannot see any safe direction to go — score 5
4. Panic: he has no idea which way is safe — ✓ the right answer · no support

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 34, line 3: «Then the pattering begins: little feet, closing in from every side like hail. A rabbit dashes past him: «Get out of this, you fool, get out!» The Mole panics,…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «fall» (+3); the same doer «mole» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★★ · right ✓

What would have happened if the Mole had stayed on the path?

1. He'd have been caught by the faces — score 4
2. He'd still have been near the holes — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9
3. He'd have kept near the holes, which were the very things he was trying to get away from — score 8
4. He would have had to walk through the whole Wild Wood again to find the path home — score 8

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 2 with score 9, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 34, line 1: «Dusk falls fast. Then the faces begin: a little evil wedge-shaped face in a hole, gone when the Mole turns; then another; then it seems every hole has a hard-e…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «mole» (+5); the same place «holes» (+4). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★★ · right ✓

Looking back: in chapter I, what did the Rat say «you can't really trust» — and does this part prove it?

1. Weasels, stoats and foxes — and yes, he was right — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Weasels, stoats, foxes and badgers — and yes, he was right about all of them, every single one — no support
3. Weasels and stoats — and no, he was wrong — no support
4. Badgers, owls and cats — and yes he was right — 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 · ★★★ · right ✓

Looking back: what did the Rat «vainly» try to shield the Mole from, according to the book?

1. The sight of the sad, bleeding faces lurking in the trees — score 3
2. The Wild Wood's Hidden Fear — no support
3. The long, cold winter that was coming soon to the whole river valley — no support
4. The Terror of the Wild Wood — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 34, line 13: ««he knew it at last, in all its fullness ... that thing which the Rat had vainly tried to shield him from—the Terror of the Wild Wood!» (vainly = without succe…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «rat» (+3); the same action «shield» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Looking back: when the Mole first fell in the river (chapter I), who saved him — and who is coming now?

1. The Badger — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. The Otter — no support
3. The Rat both times — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. The Toad, then the Rat — 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 11 · ★★★ · right ✓

Looking back: in chapter I the Rat «laughed» as he rescued the Mole. How is his mood different now?

1. He grins, and he knows it's dangerous — score 4
2. He looks very grave — this danger is real — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
3. He looks very grave, because he is worried and has decided to take real precautions this time — score 8
4. He is grinning widely, although he has now begun to feel a little uneasy about the whole adventure — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 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 34, line 5: «The Rat looks very grave, and stands «in deep thought for a minute or two». Then he straps on a belt, pushes two pistols into it, takes a big stick, and sets o…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «look» (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same doer «rat» (+1); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Looking back: the Rat «hated disappointing people» in chapter II. What does he do for his friend here?

1. Sits by the fire writing a long poem, hoping the Mole will return by morning and be safe — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. Goes into the dangerous wood at once to find him — ✓ the right answer · score 5
3. Goes to find the Badger for help — no support
4. Goes straight to the edge of the Wild Wood, though he has never been there before, to search for him — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. 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 29, line 1: «One bright summer morning the Rat has been swimming with the ducks, tickling their necks whenever they stand on their heads underwater, until they beg him to g…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «rat» (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same action «sit» (+1). The right option, 2, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 13 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

What does the Rat do before deciding?

1. Looks at the fire for a while — ← Mova's choice · score 12
2. Stands still for a minute or two, weighing the danger against his love for the Mole and his own safety — no support
3. Stands «in deep thought for a minute or two» — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. Puts on his boots, grabs a lamp, and walks around the room looking for the goloshes — score 12

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 1 with score 12, tied with another option at 12 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 34, line 7: «He told himself «not to begin imagining things, or there would be simply no end to it»; then «every hole, far and near, and there were hundreds of them, seemed…», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+7); the same action «seem» (+5). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 14 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Why does the Rat take weapons this time, when he goes nowhere else armed?

1. He wants to be brave tonight — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. The Wild Wood is dangerous for small animals — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. He is going out at night — score -1
4. The Mole is in trouble there — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 1, against -1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 29, line 2: «The Mole, who is honest and no poet, says he doesn't think much of it. The ducks don't either, laughs the Rat — they say it's nonsense to sit on banks making p…», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «rat» (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 15 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

★★★ «a little narrow face, with hard eyes». The book never says whose faces they are. From chapter I, what's the best guess?

1. Hungry wild cats that hide in trees and hunt in packs at night — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Badgers and foxes — no support
3. Weasels and stoats — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. The narrow-faced otters who live by the river and fish in the dark — 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 16 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

★★★ The Mole thinks: «yes!—no!—yes!» when he sees the second face. What is the writer showing?

1. He is swinging his mind back and forth between two sure choices before he finally settles on a decision — no support
2. He can't decide whether to laugh or cry, so he does both and then goes to sleep — no support
3. He's not sure if he saw it, then he is sure — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. He's not sure whether it is a face — ← Mova's choice · score 10

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 10, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 30, line 1: «They find Toad in a garden chair with a big map on his knees. He jumps up, shakes their paws, dances round them and says he was just about to send for them — h…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+7); the same thing acted on «rat» (+5). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 17 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

★★★ The goloshes were «new, just bought for the winter». Why does the writer give us that detail?

1. It explains why he was so cheerful and eager, and how the whole winter was spent with friends — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. It shows that the Mole had only just put them on, and that he hadn't yet learned how to walk in them — no support
3. It explains the sharp, easy tracks — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. It shows he bought them recently — 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 ✗

Identify the three successive phenomena which assailed the Mole within the Wild Wood.

1. The faces, a rabbit racing past, and the whistling of the Rat — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Faces appearing, then a sound of whistling from many directions, and finally the strange pattering of hail — no support
3. Faces, whistling and pattering — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Pattering, then faces, then wind — 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 · wrong ✗

Ascertain the place of refuge selected by the Mole.

1. The hollow of an old oak tree — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Under the roots of an ancient willow tree beside a dark and muddy pool — no support
3. The inside of a huge, hollow beech tree that had fallen across a stream — no support
4. The hollow of an old beech tree — ✓ 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

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

Select the response which most accurately characterises the evidence by which the Rat determined his friend's direction.

1. Fresh sharp golosh prints in the mud, plainly leading straight towards the edge of the Wild Wood — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Mole-scented leaves and a trail of crumbs scattered all the way toward the dark trees — no support
3. Fresh golosh tracks to the field — no support
4. Fresh golosh prints leading to the Wood — ✓ 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

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

It is given that the Rat departed in search of the Mole. Identify the articles with which he equipped himself.

1. A sword, a pistol and a long rope — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. A cudgel, a lamp and a belt — no support
3. Two heavy swords, a flask of cordial, a helmet, and a long coil of rope — no support
4. A belt, a brace of pistols and a stout cudgel — ✓ 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

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