Book of Dragons, Uncle James, or The Purple Dragon, part 6: the dragon's birthday plot is revealed and the Princess is offered as a present
Tests: 4 of 13 right · Exam: 3 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 11 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 638 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 ✓
So who's the proper baddie in this lot, mate?
- 1. Uncle James — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. the magician — no support
- 3. the Princess — no support
- 4. Fido — 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 ✗
What got on everyone's nerves, like, proper bad?
- 1. the cracking tail — ✓ the right answer · score 2
- 2. the dragon's endless questions at dinner — ← Mova's choice · score 5
- 3. the wagging tail — no support
- 4. the elephant's trumpeting every morning — no support
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 5, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 638, line 11: «Why the people grow uneasy: the dragon's "laugh was not a merry one," and his cracking tail "got on people's nerves."», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2); a different action (counts against) (+2); the same doer «dragon» (+1). The right option, 1, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗
Which bunny went missing first, the one called Frederick?
- 1. the one that was fattest — ← Mova's choice · score 8
- 2. Montague — no support
- 3. Frederick — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Humphrey — no support
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 414, line 11: «The child's words "they've pulled granny's skin off" are called lies, and the child is called "naughty".», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same doer «words» (+3). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗
Who's the elephant that's dead clever, then?
- 1. Dumbo — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Ned — no support
- 3. Fido — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Nelly — 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 5 · ★ · right ✓
Cor, what date's the Princess's bday?
- 1. fifteenth of August — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. June 3rd — no support
- 3. the first of May — no support
- 4. the second of October — 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 6 · ★ · right ✓
Did Tom clock the sneaky look between them?
- 1. the sneaky look — no support
- 2. the meaningful glance — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
- 3. a secret note — no support
- 4. the knowing little smirk — score 4
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 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 638, line 2: «Uncle James exchanges a meaningful glance with the dragon, and Tom sees it and tells his elephant Fido, who points out the Princess's birthday on the calendar.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «meaningful glance» (+2); the same property (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★ · right ✓
What did Tom chuck up at the window, like?
- 1. a pear — score -1
- 2. a teddy bear — score -1
- 3. white roses — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
- 4. a ball — score 5
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 638, line 5: «Early next morning Tom throws white roses at the Princess's window, climbs the rosebush to kiss her, and tells her the plan that he and Fido have made.», 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 «white roses» (+2); the same property (+2); the same doer «tom» (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1); the same place «window» (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗
How did Tom get up to the window, then?
- 1. by swinging on the tower's rope — score 1
- 2. up the old drainpipe — ← Mova's choice · score 4
- 3. by ladder — score 4
- 4. up the rosebush — ✓ the right answer · score 4
Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 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 236, line 19: «Old words: "bonny" means pretty, and "bogles" means goblins or ghosts, which is why the lads in the next tale fear them.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗
Did the crowd cheer Uncle James, or boo him?
- 1. booed — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. cheered him wildly — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. clapped him politely — no support
- 4. ran off — 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 ✗
What did the Princess say she's done loads of times?
- 1. whatever the dragon tells her to do — score 4
- 2. whatever she wants — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 3. what she's told — ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 4. what she's asked — score 6
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 463, line 9: «Why: the Princess wants to "spin out the time" and "do away with the bridegroom" by giving him huge tasks.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «want» (+5); the same doer «princess» (+1). The right option, 3, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗
Whose little trunk was spinning the top, then?
- 1. the dragon's enormous purple claw — no support
- 2. the magician's sneaky little hand — no support
- 3. the elephant's — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. the Princess's — ← Mova's choice · score 0
Why: It took the question to ask a circumstance (with what, when, how). It chose option 4 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 636, line 16: «why: The island "forgot which way around they had been going, and began to spin around the wrong way".», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: a different doer (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 12 · ★ · wrong ✗
What's the dragon always wagging, like, mate?
- 1. his tail — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 2. his shiny nose — no support
- 3. his ears — no support
- 4. his purple tail — ✓ the right answer · score 6
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 638, line 3: «The dragon creeps into the rabbit burrows and cracks his tail, then the rabbit Frederick, the Mexican lapdog and the whole army vanish, and people grow frighte…», 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 «tail» (+2); the same doer «dragon» (+1). The right option, 4, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 13 · ★ · wrong ✗
Who's the magician that listens at doors, innit?
- 1. Tom — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Uncle James — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. the Princess — no support
- 4. Fido — 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 ✗
Which character is described by the narrator as both a magician and an uncle named James?
- 1. the King — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 2. Uncle James — ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 3. the dragon — score -2
- 4. Tom — score -2
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 193, line 6: «Who: the narrator and his wife are the ones who secretly carry the dead hunchback to the doctor's house.», 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 «ones» (+2); the same doer «narrator» (+1). The right option, 2, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓
On what date did the calendar indicate the Princess's birthday would fall?
- 1. the fifteenth of August — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. June 3rd — no support
- 3. the eighteenth of July — no support
- 4. the first of May — 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 · right ✓
By what means did Tom first become aware of the dragon's intentions?
- 1. He observed a meaningful glance — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 2. He overheard a whispered plan — score 5
- 3. He noticed a sneaky wink — score 6
- 4. He heard a rumour — score 5
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. 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 239, line 4: «Every morning Tom finds his work already done, while the other lads find their buckets spilt and their tools spoiled, and they turn against him.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «find» (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same doer «tom» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓
With what object did Tom attract the Princess's attention on the morning of her birthday?
- 1. white roses tossed up at her bedroom window early — no support
- 2. pebbles tossed at her bedroom glass — no support
- 3. white roses thrown at her window — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
- 4. a whole basket of white roses thrown at her window — score 7
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 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 638, line 5: «Early next morning Tom throws white roses at the Princess's window, climbs the rosebush to kiss her, and tells her the plan that he and Fido have made.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «throw» (+3); the same place «window» (+3); the same thing acted on «white roses» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
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