---
title: Explain the moral conveyed by the tale, with reference to the events… — Aesop, The Mistress and Her Servants:… · tree and pragmatics
description: Explain the moral conveyed by the tale, with reference to the events described in the text. Exam question 4 of lesson 135 «Aesop, The Mistress and Her Servants: they kill the cock and wake up even earlier» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the q
---

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# Exam question 4 · Aesop, The Mistress and Her Servants: they kill the cock a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Explain the moral conveyed by the tale, with reference to the events described in the text.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** explain, convey, describe · **To what, where:** moral, events, text

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 135 «Aesop, The Mistress and Her Servants: they kill the cock and wake up even earlier» 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/135-pg11339-part5/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:135-pg11339-part5:e4:1
# text = Explain the moral conveyed by the tale, with reference to the events described in the text.
1	Explain	explain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	moral	moral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	tale	tale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	reference	reference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	events	event	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
14	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	13	acl	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* | the moral |  |  |  | with reference to the events | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent moral=Topic |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the moral *not said here* |  |  |  | by the tale | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **describe** | participle |  | the events *not said here* |  | the text |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Removing the cause of an annoyance may not relieve it, and may worsen it

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:135-pg11339-part5:e4:o1:1
# text = Removing the cause of an annoyance may not relieve it, and may worsen it
1	Removing	remove	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	csubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	annoyance	annoyance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	relieve	relieve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
14	worsen	worsen	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | gerund |  | the cause of a annoyance |  |  |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cause=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **relieve** | may | Removing | cause |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus it=Experiencer |
| 3 | **worsen** | may | Removing *not said here* | cause |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent it=Patient |
| 4 | **cause** |  |  | a annoyance |  |  |  |  | nom cause «event transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Removing the cause of an annoyance may not relieve it, and may worsen it, as the servants discovered to their great cost in the story

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:135-pg11339-part5:e4:o2:1
# text = Removing the cause of an annoyance may not relieve it, and may worsen it, as the servants discovered to their great cost in the story
1	Removing	remove	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	csubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	annoyance	annoyance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	relieve	relieve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
14	worsen	worsen	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
17	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	20	mark	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	servants	servant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	nsubj	_	_
20	discovered	discover	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	parataxis	_	_
21	to	to	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
22	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	24	nmod:poss	_	_
23	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	24	amod	_	_
24	cost	cost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl	_	_
25	in	in	ADP	IN	_	27	case	_	_
26	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	27	det	_	_
27	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | gerund |  | the cause of a annoyance |  |  |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cause=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **relieve** | may | Removing | cause |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus it=Experiencer |
| 3 | **worsen** | may | Removing *not said here* | cause |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent it=Patient |
| 4 | **discover** | past | the servants |  |  | the story |  | to servants's great cost | vn discover-84-1 «NP V PP.topic S\_ING»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **cause** |  |  | a annoyance |  |  |  |  | nom cause «event transitive»: of=patient |
| 6 | **cost** |  | servants *= servant* |  |  |  |  |  | nom cost «possession transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Killing animals that annoy you is always wise and kind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:135-pg11339-part5:e4:o3:1
# text = Killing animals that annoy you is always wise and kind
1	Killing	kill	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	csubj	_	_
2	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	annoy	annoy	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	8	advmod	_	_
8	wise	wise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	kind	kind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **kill** | gerund |  | animals |  |  |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent animal=Theme |
| 2 | **annoy** | present | animals | you |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus you=Experiencer |
| 3 | **is** | present | Killing |  |  |  |  | always, wise *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **be** |  | Killing *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Getting rid of an irritating thing is always the best choice, because the servants were right to kill the cock to sleep longer

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:135-pg11339-part5:e4:o4:1
# text = Getting rid of an irritating thing is always the best choice, because the servants were right to kill the cock to sleep longer
1	Getting	get	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	csubj	_	_
2	rid	rid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	xcomp	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	irritating	irritating	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
8	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	11	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	11	amod	_	_
11	choice	choice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
13	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	servants	servant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	nsubj	_	_
16	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
17	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	parataxis	_	_
18	to	to	PART	TO	_	19	mark	_	_
19	kill	kill	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	17	csubj	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	cock	cock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obj	_	_
22	to	to	PART	TO	_	23	mark	_	_
23	sleep	sleep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	19	advcl	_	_
24	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	23	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | rid *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** | present | Getting | the best choice |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | past | the servants |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **kill** | to-infinitive |  | the cock |  |  |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cock=Theme |
| 5 | **sleep** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | long *property* | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=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.

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