---
title: What is the principal moral conveyed by the narrative of the Fox and… — Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes… · tree and pragmatics
description: What is the principal moral conveyed by the narrative of the Fox and the Grapes? Exam question 4 of lesson 133 «Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes: a hungry Fox jumps for grapes he cannot reach and walks off, calling them sour» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tr
---

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# Exam question 4 · Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes: a hungry Fox jumps…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What is the principal moral conveyed by the narrative of the Fox and the Grapes?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** principal moral · **What happens:** be, convey · **To what, where:** principal moral

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 133 «Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes: a hungry Fox jumps for grapes he cannot reach and walks off, calling them sour» 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/133-pg11339-part3/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:133-pg11339-part3:e4:1
# text = What is the principal moral conveyed by the narrative of the Fox and the Grapes?
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	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	moral	moral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
6	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	narrative	narrative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	Fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Grapes	Grape	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the principal moral |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the principal moral *not said here* |  |  |  | by the narrative of the Fox and the Grapes | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
That people who cannot reach their goals should try harder and never give up, no matter how many times they fail.

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:133-pg11339-part3:e4:o1:1
# text = That people who cannot reach their goals should try harder and never give up, no matter how many times they fail.
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	reach	reach	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl:relcl	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	goals	goal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
9	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	try	try	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
11	harder	hard	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	xcomp	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
14	give	give	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	conj	_	_
15	up	up	ADP	RP	_	14	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
17	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	18	det	_	_
18	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
19	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	20	advmod	_	_
20	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	21	amod	_	_
21	times	time	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl:unmarked	_	_
22	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	23	nsubj	_	_
23	fail	fail	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **reach** | can | that people | people's goals |  |  |  |  | vn body\_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent goal=Theme |
| 2 | **try** | should | that people |  |  |  |  | hard *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 3 | **not** **give up** | infinitive | that people *not said here* | no matter |  |  | time |  | vn resign-10.11-2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **fail** | present | people | many times *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent time=Eventuality |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That people should always share their food with others.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:133-pg11339-part3:e4:o2:1
# text = That people should always share their food with others.
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	5	advmod	_	_
5	share	share	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **share** | should | that people | people's food |  |  |  | with others; always *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That people often belittle what they cannot obtain, in order to spare their own pride.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:133-pg11339-part3:e4:o3:1
# text = That people often belittle what they cannot obtain, in order to spare their own pride.
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	often	often	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	belittle	belittle	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	9	obj	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
7	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	obtain	obtain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	in	in	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	14	mark	_	_
12	order	order	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	fixed	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	spare	spare	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
15	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
16	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	pride	pride	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **belittle** | present | that people |  |  |  |  | often *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **obtain** | can | people |  |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset what=Theme |
| 3 | **spare** | to-infinitive | people *not said here* | people's own pride |  |  |  |  | vn bill-54.5 «NP V NP NP.asset»: agent=Agent pride=Asset |
| 4 | **pride** |  | people |  |  |  |  |  | nom pride «feeling transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That honesty is always the best policy, even when a person is embarrassed by their own failures in front of others.

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:133-pg11339-part3:e4:o4:1
# text = That honesty is always the best policy, even when a person is embarrassed by their own failures in front of others.
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	honesty	honesty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	7	amod	_	_
7	policy	policy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
9	even	even	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
10	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	14	mark	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	embarrassed	embarrass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	conj	_	_
15	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
16	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	18	nmod:poss	_	_
17	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	failures	failure	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
21	of	of	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
22	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | that honesty | the best policy |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **embarrass** | present · passive | their own failures | a person |  | front of others |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus subject=Experiencer |
| 3 | **fail** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom failure «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

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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: [Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/133-pg11339-part3/e3/)
- next →: [Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Birds:…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/134-pg11339-part4/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Aesop's Fables, The Fox and the Grapes: a hungry Fox jumps for grapes he cannot reach and walks off, calling them sour](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/133-pg11339-part3/)