---
title: What purpose did the jester state for smearing the spot with pitch? — Russian Fairy Tales, The Heifer, part… · tree and pragmatics
description: What purpose did the jester state for smearing the spot with pitch? Exam question 4 of lesson 1115 «Russian Fairy Tales, The Heifer, part 21: the golden slippers are left behind and the search begins» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questi
---

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# Exam question 4 · Russian Fairy Tales, The Heifer, part 21: the golden slipp…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What purpose did the jester state for smearing the spot with pitch?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** purpose · **What happens:** do, smear · **To what, where:** jester state, spot

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 1115 «Russian Fairy Tales, The Heifer, part 21: the golden slippers are left behind and the search begins» 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/1115-pg29672-part21/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1115-pg29672-part21:e4:1
# text = What purpose did the jester state for smearing the spot with pitch?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	obj	_	_
2	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	jester	jester	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	state	state	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	smearing	smear	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	spot	spot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	pitch	pitch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | past | purpose | the jester state |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **smear** | gerund | purpose *not said here* | the spot |  |  |  | with pitch | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP.destination PP.theme»: agent=Agent spot=Destination with pitch=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
To hide the stain from guests

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1115-pg29672-part21:e4:o1:1
# text = To hide the stain from guests
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	hide	hide	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	stain	stain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	guests	guest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hide** | to-infinitive |  | the stain |  |  |  | from guests | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent stain=Patient from guest=Beneficiary |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To make the slippers stick there

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1115-pg29672-part21:e4:o2:1
# text = To make the slippers stick there
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	slippers	slipper	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	stick	stick	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **stick** | present | the slippers |  |  | there |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
So that the Tsarevich would know exactly where to stand when he came back to the church again

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1115-pg29672-part21:e4:o3:1
# text = So that the Tsarevich would know exactly where to stand when he came back to the church again
1	So	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
2	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	Tsarevich	Tsarevich	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	advcl	_	_
7	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
8	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	10	advmod	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	stand	stand	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
11	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	13	advmod	_	_
12	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
13	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	advcl	_	_
14	back	back	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
15	to	to	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	church	church	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
18	again	again	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | would | the Tsarevich |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **stand** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  | again | exactly *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **come back** | past | Tsarevich |  |  | the church |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to church=Initial\_Location |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To make sure the girl would be caught and brought before the Tsar and his councillors

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1115-pg29672-part21:e4:o4:1
# text = To make sure the girl would be caught and brought before the Tsar and his councillors
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	sure	sure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	girl	girl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	caught	catch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	brought	bring	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	conj	_	_
11	before	before	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	Tsar	Tsar	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	16	nmod:poss	_	_
16	councillors	councillor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | sure *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 2 | **catch** | would · passive |  | the girl |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 3 | **bring** | participle |  |  |  |  | before the Tsar and his councillors |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent before tsar=Destination |

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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.

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- ↑ back to [Russian Fairy Tales, The Heifer, part 21: the golden slippers are left behind and the search begins](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1115-pg29672-part21/)