--- title: What was the principal reason the old woman retained the duckling in… — Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckl… · tree and pragmatics description: What was the principal reason the old woman retained the duckling in her cottage? Exam question 2 of lesson 1013 «Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckling, part 224: the duckling survives the hunters, a cottage, and a freezing winter» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependenc --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1013-pg27200-part224/e2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/) / [Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckl…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1013-pg27200-part224/) / e2 # Exam question 2 · Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckling, part 224: the d… What was the principal reason the old woman retained the duckling in her cottage? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** old woman · **What happens:** be, retain · **To what, where:** principal reason, duckling, cottage This is exam question 2 of lesson 1013 «Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckling, part 224: the duckling survives the hunters, a cottage, and a freezing winter» of the books course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/books/1013-pg27200-part224/#e2). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:books:1013-pg27200-part224:e2:1 # text = What was the principal reason the old woman retained the duckling in her cottage? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 5 nsubj _ _ 2 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 principal principal ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 reason reason NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 7 old old ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 woman woman NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 nsubj _ _ 9 retained retain VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 acl:relcl _ _ 10 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 11 duckling duckling NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 obj _ _ 12 in in ADP IN _ 14 case _ _ 13 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 14 nmod:poss _ _ 14 cottage cottage NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 15 ? ? PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | past | | the principal reason | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **retain** | past | the old woman | the duckling | | woman's cottage | | | tree rules | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 {#o1} It was cute ```conllu # sent_id = question:books:1013-pg27200-part224:e2:o1:1 # text = It was cute 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 cop _ _ 3 cute cute ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | It | | | | | cute *property* | tree rules | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2} She liked it ```conllu # sent_id = question:books:1013-pg27200-part224:e2:o2:1 # text = She liked it 1 She she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 liked like VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **like** | past | She | it | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot it=Theme | ### Option 3 {#o3} She wanted it to become a fine goose ```conllu # sent_id = question:books:1013-pg27200-part224:e2:o3:1 # text = She wanted it to become a fine goose 1 She she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 wanted want VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 obj _ _ 4 to to PART TO _ 5 mark _ _ 5 become become VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 2 xcomp _ _ 6 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 7 fine fine ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 goose goose NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 xcomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **want** | past | She | it | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **become** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | | a fine goose | | | | | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient | ### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4} She hoped it would prove to be a female who laid eggs ```conllu # sent_id = question:books:1013-pg27200-part224:e2:o4:1 # text = She hoped it would prove to be a female who laid eggs 1 She she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 hoped hope VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 4 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ _ 5 prove prove VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 2 advcl _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 9 mark _ _ 7 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 9 cop _ _ 8 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 female female NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 ccomp _ _ 10 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 11 nsubj _ _ 11 laid lay VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 9 acl:relcl _ _ 12 eggs egg NOUN NNS Number=Plur 11 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **hope** | past | She | | | | | | vn long-32.2 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Pivot | | 2 | **prove** | would | it | | | | | | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **is a** | to-infinitive | | a female | | | | | tree rules | | 4 | **lay** | past | a female | eggs | | | | | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent egg=Result | **Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License. - ← previous: [Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckl…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1013-pg27200-part224/e1/) - next →: [Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckl…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1013-pg27200-part224/e3/) - ↑ back to [Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Ugly Duckling, part 224: the duckling survives the hunters, a cottage, and a freezing winter](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1013-pg27200-part224/)