---
title: By what means did the Emperor Kotei overcome the fog employed by the… — Myths and Legends of China, The Shinan… · tree and pragmatics
description: By what means did the Emperor Kotei overcome the fog employed by the rebel Shiyu? Exam question 2 of lesson 1349 «Myths and Legends of China, The Shinansha, or the South Pointing Carriage, part 9: Kotei beats the fog and crosses the river in boats made after a spider's leaf» of the books course of M
---

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# Exam question 2 · Myths and Legends of China, The Shinansha, or the South Po…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By what means did the Emperor Kotei overcome the fog employed by the rebel Shiyu?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Emperor Kotei · **What happens:** mean, overcome, employ · **To what, where:** fog · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 1349 «Myths and Legends of China, The Shinansha, or the South Pointing Carriage, part 9: Kotei beats the fog and crosses the river in boats made after a spider's leaf» 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/1349-pg4018-part9/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1349-pg4018-part9:e2:1
# text = By what means did the Emperor Kotei overcome the fog employed by the rebel Shiyu?
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	Emperor	Emperor	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	Kotei	Kotei	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	overcome	overcome	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	fog	fog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	acl	_	_
12	by	by	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	rebel	rebel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	Shiyu	Shiyu	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **overcome** | past · do-support | the Emperor Kotei | the fog |  |  |  |  | vn exceed-90 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot fog=Theme |
| 3 | **employ** | participle |  | the fog *not said here* |  |  |  | by the rebel | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: 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 -->
by sending scouts ahead through the thick forest

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1349-pg4018-part9:e2:o1:1
# text = by sending scouts ahead through the thick forest
1	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sending	send	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	scouts	scout	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	ahead	ahead	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
5	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	forest	forest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | gerund |  | scouts |  | the thick forest |  | ahead *property* | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent scout=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
by calling on the spirits of the North Star and waiting for the fog to lift

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1349-pg4018-part9:e2:o2:1
# text = by calling on the spirits of the North Star and waiting for the fog to lift
1	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	calling	call	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	spirits	spirit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	North	North	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	Star	Star	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	waiting	wait	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	conj	_	_
12	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	fog	fog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	16	mark	_	_
16	lift	lift	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | gerund |  |  |  | the spirits of the North Star |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **wait** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | for the fog | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **lift** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
by consulting the shinansha, which indicated the south

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1349-pg4018-part9:e2:o3:1
# text = by consulting the shinansha, which indicated the south
1	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	consulting	consult	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	shinansha	shinansha	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	indicated	indicate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	south	south	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consult** | gerund |  | the shinansha |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shinansha=Theme |
| 2 | **indicate** | past | the shinansha | the south |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot south=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
by sending out scouts who searched the thick fog for three long days

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1349-pg4018-part9:e2:o4:1
# text = by sending out scouts who searched the thick fog for three long days
1	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sending	send	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	out	out	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	scouts	scout	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	searched	search	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	fog	fog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	13	nummod	_	_
12	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send out** | gerund |  | scouts |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent scout=Theme |
| 2 | **search** | past | scouts | the thick fog |  |  | day |  | vn search-35.2 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent fog=Location |

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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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- ← previous: [Myths and Legends of China, The Shinan…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1349-pg4018-part9/e1/)
- next →: [Myths and Legends of China, The Shinan…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1349-pg4018-part9/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Myths and Legends of China, The Shinansha, or the South Pointing Carriage, part 9: Kotei beats the fog and crosses the river in boats made after a spider's leaf](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1349-pg4018-part9/)