---
title: What reply did the Snake give the labourer when he tried to make pea… — Aesop's Fables, The Bull and the Calf,… · tree and pragmatics
description: What reply did the Snake give the labourer when he tried to make peace? Exam question 4 of lesson 149 «Aesop's Fables, The Bull and the Calf, part 19: a string of short fables where clever and foolish creatures and people get their just deserts» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the
---

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# Exam question 4 · Aesop's Fables, The Bull and the Calf, part 19: a string o…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What reply did the Snake give the labourer when he tried to make peace?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Snake · **What happens:** be, give, try, make · **To what, where:** labourer, peace

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 149 «Aesop's Fables, The Bull and the Calf, part 19: a string of short fables where clever and foolish creatures and people get their just deserts» 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/149-pg11339-part19/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:149-pg11339-part19:e4:1
# text = What reply did the Snake give the labourer when he tried to make peace?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	obj	_	_
2	reply	reply	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Snake	Snake	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	give	give	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	labourer	labourer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
10	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	tried	try	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	xcomp	_	_
14	peace	peace	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **give** | past · do-support | the Snake | the labourer |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent labourer=Theme |
| 3 | **try** | past | Snake |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 4 | **make** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | Snake *not said here* | peace |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset peace=Product |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He could never be his friend

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:149-pg11339-part19:e4:o1:1
# text = He could never be his friend
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	cop	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is a** | could | He | his friend |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He would always hold a grudge

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:149-pg11339-part19:e4:o2:1
# text = He would always hold a grudge
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	4	advmod	_	_
4	hold	hold	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	grudge	grudge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | would | He | a grudge |  |  |  | always *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent grudge=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He could never be his friend, since the labourer had hurt him badly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:149-pg11339-part19:e4:o3:1
# text = He could never be his friend, since the labourer had hurt him badly
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	cop	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	since	since	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	labourer	labourer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
11	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	hurt	hurt	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	conj	_	_
13	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	_
14	badly	badly	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	12	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is a** | could | He | his friend |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **hurt** | past · perfect · passive |  | the labourer |  |  |  | badly *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Experiencer he=Result |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He said it was too late now and they could never be friends again

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:149-pg11339-part19:e4:o4:1
# text = He said it was too late now and they could never be friends again
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	too	too	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	late	late	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	_
7	now	now	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	2	advmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
9	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
10	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
11	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
12	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	cop	_	_
13	friends	friend	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	_
14	again	again	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | He |  |  |  | now |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | past | it |  |  |  |  | late *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **not** **is a** | could | they | friends |  |  | again |  | tree rules |

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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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- ← previous: [Aesop's Fables, The Bull and the Calf,…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/149-pg11339-part19/e3/)
- next →: [Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, a…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Aesop's Fables, The Bull and the Calf, part 19: a string of short fables where clever and foolish creatures and people get their just deserts](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/149-pg11339-part19/)