---
title: Did the Fox lose his tail, or was he just being a tool? — Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Boar… · tree and pragmatics
description: Did the Fox lose his tail, or was he just being a tool? Test 6 · ★ of lesson 140 «Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Boar and other fables, part 10: animals and a Man quarrel, learn small lessons and get their comeuppance» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and prag
---

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# Test 6 · ★ · Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Boar and other fables, pa…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Did the Fox lose his tail, or was he just being a tool?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Fox · **What happens:** lose, be · **To what, where:** tail, tool

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 · ★ of lesson 140 «Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Boar and other fables, part 10: animals and a Man quarrel, learn small lessons and get their comeuppance» of the books course of Mova's primary school. 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/140-pg11339-part10/#t6).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:140-pg11339-part10:t6:1
# text = Did the Fox lose his tail, or was he just being a tool?
1	Did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	Fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	lose	lose	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
9	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
10	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
11	just	just	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
12	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	14	cop	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	tool	tool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past · do-support | the Fox | Fox's tail |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tail=Eventuality |
| 2 | **is a** | past | Fox | a tool |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
He lost it in a fight, then wanted others cut

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:140-pg11339-part10:t6:o1:1
# text = He lost it in a fight, then wanted others cut
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	fight	fight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	9	advmod	_	_
9	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
11	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past | He | it |  | a fight |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |
| 2 | **want** | past | He *not said here* | others |  |  | then |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **cut** *not said to happen* | participle | others *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He grew it back, then wanted others cut

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:140-pg11339-part10:t6:o2:1
# text = He grew it back, then wanted others cut
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	grew	grow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	back	back	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	7	advmod	_	_
7	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
8	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
9	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grow back** | past | He | it |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location it=Theme |
| 2 | **want** | past | He *not said here* | others |  |  | then |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot other=Theme |
| 3 | **cut** | participle |  | others *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He lost it in a trap set by the farmers, and then he wanted the other foxes to cut theirs off too

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:140-pg11339-part10:t6:o3:1
# text = He lost it in a trap set by the farmers, and then he wanted the other foxes to cut theirs off too
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	trap	trap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	set	set	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	farmers	farmer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	15	advmod	_	_
14	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
15	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	foxes	fox	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	_
19	to	to	PART	TO	_	20	mark	_	_
20	cut	cut	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	xcomp	_	_
21	theirs	their	PRON	PRP	Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	20	obj	_	_
22	off	off	ADP	RP	_	20	compound:prt	_	_
23	too	too	ADV	RB	_	20	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past | He | it |  | a trap |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |
| 2 | **set** | participle |  | a trap *not said here* |  |  |  | by the farmers | vn put-9.1-2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent by farmer=Destination |
| 3 | **want** | past | he | the other foxes |  |  | then |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **cut off** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the other foxes *not said here* | foxes *= fox* |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector their=Eventuality |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He lost it in a trap, then wanted others cut

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:140-pg11339-part10:t6:o4:1
# text = He lost it in a trap, then wanted others cut
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	trap	trap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	9	advmod	_	_
9	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
11	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past | He | it |  | a trap |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |
| 2 | **want** | past | He *not said here* | others |  |  | then |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **cut** *not said to happen* | participle | others *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

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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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- ↑ back to [Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Boar and other fables, part 10: animals and a Man quarrel, learn small lessons and get their comeuppance](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/140-pg11339-part10/)