---
title: In the tale of the Thief and the Innkeeper, what device does the Thi… — Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, a… · tree and pragmatics
description: In the tale of the Thief and the Innkeeper, what device does the Thief employ to obtain the Innkeeper's garment? Exam question 1 of lesson 150 «Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 20: the boy's sling sends the rooks flying from the wheat field» of the books course of Mova's prim
---

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# Exam question 1 · Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 2…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In the tale of the Thief and the Innkeeper, what device does the Thief employ to obtain the Innkeeper's garment?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Thief · **What happens:** employ, obtain, tell · **To what, where:** tale, garment · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 150 «Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 20: the boy's sling sends the rooks flying from the wheat field» 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/150-pg11339-part20/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e1:1
# text = In the tale of the Thief and the Innkeeper, what device does the Thief employ to obtain the Innkeeper's garment?
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	tale	tale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obl	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Thief	Thief	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Innkeeper	Innkeeper	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	13	obj	_	_
12	device	device	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Thief	thief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	_
16	employ	employ	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	obtain	obtain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	xcomp	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	Innkeeper	Innkeeper	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	22	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	's	's	PART	POS	_	20	case	_	_
22	garment	garment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	16	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **employ** | present · do-support |  |  |  | the tale of the Thief and the Innkeeper |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent clause=Attribute |
| 2 | **obtain** | to-infinitive |  | the Innkeeper's garment |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset garment=Theme |
| 3 | **tell** |  | the Thief and the Innkeeper |  |  |  |  |  | nom tale «communication intransitive»: of=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 -->
He feigns a series of yawns and a howl, claiming a transformation into a wolf.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e1:o1:1
# text = He feigns a series of yawns and a howl, claiming a transformation into a wolf.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	feigns	feign	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	series	series	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	yawns	yawn	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	howl	howl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	claiming	claim	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	transformation	transformation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	into	into	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	wolf	wolf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **feign** | present | He | a series of yawns and a howl |  |  |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent series=Patient |
| 2 | **claim** *speech: other* | gerund | He *not said here* | a transformation |  | a wolf |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent transformation=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He mimics a wolf's cry while stealing the innkeeper's coat from the hook by the door

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e1:o2:1
# text = He mimics a wolf's cry while stealing the innkeeper's coat from the hook by the door
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	mimics	mimic	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	wolf	wolf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	cry	cry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	stealing	steal	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	innkeeper	innkeeper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	's	's	PART	POS	_	10	case	_	_
12	coat	coat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
13	from	from	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	hook	hook	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	door	door	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mimic** | present | He | a wolf's cry |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **steal** | gerund | He *not said here* | the innkeeper's coat |  | the hook |  | by the door | vn steal-10.5-1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent coat=Theme from hook=Source |
| 3 | **cry** |  | a wolf |  |  |  |  |  | nom cry «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He pretends to be a sleeping guest who wakes and steals the innkeeper's garment at once

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e1:o3:1
# text = He pretends to be a sleeping guest who wakes and steals the innkeeper's garment at once
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pretends	pretend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	sleeping	sleeping	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	guest	guest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	_
8	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	wakes	wake	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	steals	steal	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	conj	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	innkeeper	innkeeper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	's	's	PART	POS	_	13	case	_	_
15	garment	garment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
16	at	at	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pretend** | present | He |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | a sleeping guest |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **wake** | present | a sleeping guest |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 4 | **steal** | present | a sleeping guest *not said here* | the innkeeper's garment |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location garment=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He pretends to be asleep and steals the coat.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e1:o4:1
# text = He pretends to be asleep and steals the coat.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pretends	pretend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
5	asleep	asleep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	steals	steal	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	coat	coat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pretend** | present | He |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  | asleep *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **steal** | present | He *not said here* | the coat |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location coat=Theme |

<!-- div src -->

**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 Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 20: the boy's sling sends the rooks flying from the wheat field](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/)