---
title: What is the stated limit of the poet's answers to questions? — Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, Fionn and the… · tree and pragmatics
description: What is the stated limit of the poet's answers to questions? Exam question 4 of lesson 1041 «Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, Fionn and the Salmon of Knowledge, part 9: Fionn beats the king at chess, is unmasked, and goes to learn from Finegas» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependenc
---

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# Exam question 4 · Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, Fionn and the Salmon of Knowledge,…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What is the stated limit of the poet's answers to questions?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** stated limit, poet · **What happens:** be, state, answer

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 1041 «Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, Fionn and the Salmon of Knowledge, part 9: Fionn beats the king at chess, is unmasked, and goes to learn from Finegas» 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/1041-pg2892-part9/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1041-pg2892-part9:e4:1
# text = What is the stated limit of the poet's answers to questions?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	stated	state	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	limit	limit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	poet	poet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	's	's	PART	POS	_	8	case	_	_
10	answers	answer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	questions	question	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the stated limit of the poet's answers to questions |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **state** *speech: other* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **answer** |  | the poet |  |  |  |  | to questions | nom answer «communication transitive»: poss=agent to=obl |

<!-- .note -->
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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
a man's readiness is his limit, not the poet's own knowledge or the river's depth

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1041-pg2892-part9:e4:o1:1
# text = a man's readiness is his limit, not the poet's own knowledge or the river's depth
1	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	readiness	readiness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	limit	limit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	poet	poet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	's	's	PART	POS	_	11	case	_	_
13	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	knowledge	knowledge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	_
15	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	's	's	PART	POS	_	17	case	_	_
19	depth	depth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a man's readiness | man's limit |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
a man's readiness is the only limit, as the poet told the boy at the river in summer

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1041-pg2892-part9:e4:o2:1
# text = a man's readiness is the only limit, as the poet told the boy at the river in summer
1	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	readiness	readiness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	limit	limit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	poet	poet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	told	tell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	conj	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	iobj	_	_
16	at	at	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	summer	summer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a man's readiness | the only limit |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | the poet |  | the boy | the river | summer |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent boy=Recipient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
a man's readiness is his limit

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1041-pg2892-part9:e4:o3:1
# text = a man's readiness is his limit
1	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	readiness	readiness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	limit	limit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a man's readiness | man's limit |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
a man's strength is the limit

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1041-pg2892-part9:e4:o4:1
# text = a man's strength is the limit
1	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	strength	strength	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	limit	limit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a man's strength | the limit |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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**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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: [Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, Fionn and the…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1041-pg2892-part9/e3/)
- next →: [Irish Fairy Tales, The Salmon of Knowl…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1042-pg2892-part10/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, Fionn and the Salmon of Knowledge, part 9: Fionn beats the king at chess, is unmasked, and goes to learn from Finegas](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1041-pg2892-part9/)