Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Little Mermaid, part 90: the mermaid sneaks off to the sea witch and pays a terrible price
Tests: 4 of 13 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 9 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 879 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 ✓
Bruv, did the mermaid actually like the witch?
- 1. Nah, she was dead scared of her — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Nope, she hated the witch but still wanted to help the poor prince — no support
- 3. Nah, she thought the witch was a cruel monster who laughed at her pain — no support
- 4. Yeah, she thought she was nice — 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 ✗
So who was the mermaid's crush, then?
- 1. The fine sea-captain — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The charming prince — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. The prince — no support
- 4. The brave young sailor — 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 3 · ★ · wrong ✗
Wait, what did she give up for the potion?
- 1. Her voice — ← Mova's choice · score 3
- 2. Her hair — score 3
- 3. Her voice and her tongue — ✓ the right answer · score 3
- 4. Her singing and her hair — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 440, line 4: «The girl throws down a comb, a thick forest springs up, and the witch gnaws at it and gives up.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «give up» (+3). The right option, 3, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★ · right ✓
Mad, what's in that forest, though?
- 1. Polypi that grab everything — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Polypi with arms that grab and drown anything passing near — no support
- 3. Huge fish with long teeth — no support
- 4. Weeds that drag you down — 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 5 · ★ · right ✓
Did the witch hand the drink over for free?
- 1. Yes, but only a small gift — score 3
- 2. Nope, she wanted a massive price — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 3. Nope, she demanded the mermaid's voice and her beautiful tongue both — score 6
- 4. Nah, she wanted every pearl and jewel from the mermaid's sisters — score 6
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 471, line 10: «Why: the witch wants to eat him, and cries "I shall eat you up in another moment."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «want» (+4); the same doer «witch» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗
Wasn't the bog just a swimming pool?
- 1. Nah, it was a thick warm bog of dark rotting mud — ← Mova's choice · score 7
- 2. Nope, it was a hot steaming marsh full of bubbling sludge and slime — no support
- 3. Nah, it was warm sludge — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Nope, just cold mud — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 861, line 20: «Old word "impaled": It means pierced through with a sharp spike; the prisoners at Chillon were "impaled alive."», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same doer «old word» (+3). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗
Why did the polypi let her go?
- 1. They got scared when the mermaid screamed loudly in the dark bog — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. They freaked out at the glowing potion — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. They got scared by the strong witch's smell and the bubbling pot — no support
- 4. They got scared of the witch — 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 8 · ★ · right ✓
Did the mermaid go back to the palace party?
- 1. Yeah, she danced — no support
- 2. Nope, she was too sad to go in — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 3. Yeah, but she was too shy to dance with the prince — score 1
- 4. Nope, she was ill — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 879, line 17: «The mermaid sees her father's palace in darkness, with the torches "extinguished" and everyone asleep, and she cannot go in.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «go in» (+4); the same doer «mermaid» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗
What did the witch do with those snakes?
- 1. Hung them on the wall — ← Mova's choice · score 5
- 2. Let them bite her gently — score 5
- 3. Let them crawl all over her — ✓ the right answer · score 5
- 4. Let them coil around her body while she stirred the pot — score 5
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 879, line 15: «The witch calls her water-snakes "little chickens" and lets them crawl all over her bosom, which shows how cruel she is.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «snakes» (+3); the same doer «witch» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗
Did the witch warn her about the deal?
- 1. Nope, she promised nothing bad would happen to the mermaid at all — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 2. Yeah, she said it could go wrong — ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 3. Yeah, she said it might hurt — score 6
- 4. Yeah, she said the deal might cost her the sea and her life forever — score 6
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 647, line 2: «The witch asks for all the Queen's jewels and her lilies, boils them in a cauldron, and promises a child with golden hair and pale skin.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «promise» (+4); the same doer «witch» (+2). The right option, 2, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗
Yo, was the witch laughing or crying?
- 1. Screaming at the mermaid's sorrow — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Laughing — no support
- 3. Laughing so loud the toad fell over — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Crying so hard her eyes ran — 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 12 · ★ · wrong ✗
Sick, what did the potion look like?
- 1. A sparkling jewel on the table — no support
- 2. A twinkling star in her hand — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. A glowing ball of red light — ← Mova's choice · score 3
- 4. A thick green liquid that smelled of rotten fish and gave off steam — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 879, line 16: «The polypi spring back from the potion because it "shone in her hand like a twinkling star".», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «shine» (+3). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 13 · ★ · wrong ✗
Is the mermaid still going to be happy?
- 1. Yes, she thought love would save her — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 2. Yeah, very happy — no support
- 3. Nah, she was sure she'd be sad — no support
- 4. Nah, she felt her heart would break — ✓ the right answer · score 6
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 879, line 1: «The little mermaid slips away from the singing and dancing in her father's palace and sits alone in her garden, thinking of the prince.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «think» (+4); the same doer «little mermaid» (+2). The right option, 4, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗
Which of the following constitutes the principal sacrifice demanded by the sea witch in exchange for the draught?
- 1. Her voice — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The loss of the mermaid's golden hair — no support
- 3. Her gold — no support
- 4. The surrender of the mermaid's voice — ✓ 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 2 · formal language · wrong ✗
In what location does the little mermaid pass through the strange forest before reaching the witch's dwelling?
- 1. Along a sandy shore of shells — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Across a bubbling bog of warm mire — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Over a marsh of cold grey water and tangled reeds near the wrecks — no support
- 4. Across the great hall of the sunken palace of the sea king and beyond it — 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 ✗
What condition did the witch state must be fulfilled for the mermaid to obtain an immortal soul?
- 1. The prince must marry her and love her wholly — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. He must love her — ← Mova's choice · score 5
- 3. The prince must wed her and cherish her forever — no support
- 4. The prince must take her as a bride soon — score 1
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 5, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 650, line 17: «Old word: an enchanter is a magician, and a witch is someone who uses magic, but the witch says she is "not a witch anymore."», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «witch» (+1); a different doer (counts against) (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓
Which description most accurately characterises the mermaid's physical state upon her return to the palace?
- 1. She was dumb and shall never sing again — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. She was weak and could not speak — no support
- 3. She was mute — no support
- 4. She had lost her voice and her tail — 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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