---
title: Which action does the Ass perform immediately before the servants be… — Aesop's Fables, The Ass and the Lap-do… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which action does the Ass perform immediately before the servants beat him with sticks and cudgels? Exam question 1 of lesson 136 «Aesop's Fables, The Ass and the Lap-dog: the jealous Ass wrecks the master's dinner and is beaten» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree
---

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# Exam question 1 · Aesop's Fables, The Ass and the Lap-dog: the jealous Ass w…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which action does the Ass perform immediately before the servants beat him with sticks and cudgels?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** action, Ass, servants · **What happens:** do, perform, beat · **To what, where:** action

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 136 «Aesop's Fables, The Ass and the Lap-dog: the jealous Ass wrecks the master's dinner and is beaten» 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/136-pg11339-part6/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:136-pg11339-part6:e1:1
# text = Which action does the Ass perform immediately before the servants beat him with sticks and cudgels?
1	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Ass	As	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
6	perform	perform	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
7	immediately	immediately	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
8	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	servants	servant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
11	beat	beat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
12	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
13	with	with	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	sticks	stick	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	_
15	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	cudgels	cudgel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present | which action |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **perform** | present | the Ass |  |  |  |  | immediately *property* | vn performance-26.7 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **beat** | present | the servants | action |  |  |  | with sticks and cudgels | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent he=Patient with stick=Instrument |

<!-- .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 tries to hop on the dinner

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:136-pg11339-part6:e1:o1:1
# text = He tries to hop on the dinner
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	tries	try	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	hop	hop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	dinner	dinner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | present | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **hop** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  | the dinner |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on dinner=Trajectory |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He attempts to jump upon his master's lap

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:136-pg11339-part6:e1:o2:1
# text = He attempts to jump upon his master's lap
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	attempts	attempt	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	jump	jump	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	master	master	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	lap	lap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attempt** | present | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **jump** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  | his master's lap |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme upon lap=Trajectory |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He runs round the room and then attempts to jump upon his master's lap

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:136-pg11339-part6:e1:o3:1
# text = He runs round the room and then attempts to jump upon his master's lap
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	runs	run	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	round	round	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	room	room	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	8	advmod	_	_
8	attempts	attempt	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	jump	jump	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	_
11	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
12	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	master	master	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	's	's	PART	POS	_	13	case	_	_
15	lap	lap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **run** | present | He |  |  | the room |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme round room=Trajectory |
| 2 | **attempt** | present | He *not said here* |  |  |  | then |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **jump** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  | his master's lap |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme upon lap=Trajectory |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He leaps onto the table cloth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:136-pg11339-part6:e1:o4:1
# text = He leaps onto the table cloth
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	leaps	leap	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	onto	onto	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	cloth	cloth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leap** | present | He |  |  | the table cloth |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme onto cloth=Trajectory |

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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: [Aesop's Fables, The Ass and the Lap-do…, test 13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/136-pg11339-part6/t13/)
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