---
title: Which of the following accurately states the reason the old man sele… — Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut S… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following accurately states the reason the old man selected the smaller of the two boxes? Exam question 2 of lesson 1344 «Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, part 4: the greedy old wife opens the big box and finds demons» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, part 4: the…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following accurately states the reason the old man selected the smaller of the two boxes?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** old man · **What happens:** follow, state, select · **To what, where:** reason, smaller

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 1344 «Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, part 4: the greedy old wife opens the big box and finds demons» 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/1344-pg4018-part4/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1344-pg4018-part4:e2:1
# text = Which of the following accurately states the reason the old man selected the smaller of the two boxes?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	nsubj	_	_
5	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	states	state	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	selected	select	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	acl:relcl	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	smaller	small	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	12	obj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	18	nummod	_	_
18	boxes	box	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **state** *speech: other* | present |  | the reason |  |  |  | accurately *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 3 | **select** | past | the old man | the smaller |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent small=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 -->
He liked the color better

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1344-pg4018-part4:e2:o1:1
# text = He liked the color better
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|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	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	color	color	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	better	well	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **like** | past | He | the color |  |  |  | well *property* | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot color=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was too old and feeble to carry the heavier container

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1344-pg4018-part4:e2:o2:1
# text = He was too old and feeble to carry the heavier container
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	feeble	feeble	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	carry	carry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	heavier	heavy	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	11	amod	_	_
11	container	container	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | He |  |  |  |  | old *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **carry** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | the heavier container |  |  |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent container=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He thought the lighter box held more gold coins

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1344-pg4018-part4:e2:o3:1
# text = He thought the lighter box held more gold coins
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	thought	think	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	lighter	light	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	amod	_	_
5	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	held	hold	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
7	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	9	advmod	_	_
8	gold	gold	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	coins	coin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **think** *speech: other* | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **hold** | past | the lighter box | gold coins |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He believed the sparrow had put more treasure inside it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1344-pg4018-part4:e2:o4:1
# text = He believed the sparrow had put more treasure inside it
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	believed	believe	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	sparrow	sparrow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	put	put	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	ccomp	_	_
7	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	amod	_	_
8	treasure	treasure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	inside	inside	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **believe** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 2 | **put** | past · perfect · passive |  | the sparrow |  |  |  |  | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V NP PP.goal»: subject=Asset treasure=Goal |

<!-- div src -->

**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: [Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut S…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1344-pg4018-part4/e1/)
- next →: [Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut S…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1344-pg4018-part4/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, part 4: the greedy old wife opens the big box and finds demons](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1344-pg4018-part4/)