---
title: What is the reason the mice give for feeling secure in the darkness… — Old Indian Legends, Dance in a Buffalo… · tree and pragmatics
description: What is the reason the mice give for feeling secure in the darkness of the plain? Exam question 3 of lesson 1272 «Old Indian Legends, Dance in a Buffalo Skull: mice feast until fiery eyes creep into their skull» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of
---

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# Exam question 3 · Old Indian Legends, Dance in a Buffalo Skull: mice feast u…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What is the reason the mice give for feeling secure in the darkness of the plain?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** reason, mice · **What happens:** be, give, feel · **To what, where:** reason

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 1272 «Old Indian Legends, Dance in a Buffalo Skull: mice feast until fiery eyes creep into their skull» 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/1272-pg338-part9/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1272-pg338-part9:e3:1
# text = What is the reason the mice give for feeling secure in the darkness of the plain?
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	4	det	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	give	give	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	feeling	feel	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
10	secure	secure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	darkness	darkness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	plain	plain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the reason |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **give** | present | the mice | the reason *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 3 | **feel** | gerund | the mice *not said here* |  |  |  |  | in the darkness of the plain; secure *property* | vn seem-109-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Theme in darkness=Attribute |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They feel the darkness covers them from the wolves and owls

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1272-pg338-part9:e3:o1:1
# text = They feel the darkness covers them from the wolves and owls
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	feel	feel	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	darkness	darkness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	covers	cover	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	wolves	wolf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	owls	owl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **feel** | present | They |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-2 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **cover** | present | the darkness | them *= they* |  | the wolves and owls |  |  | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme they=Destination |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The moon hides them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1272-pg338-part9:e3:o2:1
# text = The moon hides them
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	moon	moon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	hides	hide	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hide** | present | the moon | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They say the dark keeps them hidden from harm

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1272-pg338-part9:e3:o3:1
# text = They say the dark keeps them hidden from harm
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	say	say	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	dark	dark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	keeps	keep	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	hidden	hide	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	xcomp	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | They |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **keep** | present | the dark | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **hide** | participle | them *= they* *not said here* |  |  | harm |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent from harm=Beneficiary |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They believe the dark shelters them from all dangers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1272-pg338-part9:e3:o4:1
# text = They believe the dark shelters them from all dangers
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	believe	believe	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	dark	dark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	shelters	shelter	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	dangers	danger	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **believe** | present | They |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 2 | **shelter** | present | the dark | them *= they* |  | all dangers |  |  | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent they=Patient from danger=Beneficiary |

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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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