---
title: Describe the reasoning by which the Frog declines to enter the well,… — Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Describe the reasoning by which the Frog declines to enter the well, as set out in the fable of the Frogs and the Well. Exam question 3 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
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/e3/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/) / [Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/) / e3

# Exam question 3 · Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks, part 2…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Describe the reasoning by which the Frog declines to enter the well, as set out in the fable of the Frogs and the Well.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, Frog · **What happens:** describe, decline, not enter, set out · **To what, where:** reasoning, the, fable

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 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/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e3:1
# text = Describe the reasoning by which the Frog declines to enter the well, as set out in the fable of the Frogs and the Well.
1	Describe	describe	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reasoning	reasoning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	Frog	Frog	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	declines	decline	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	enter	enter	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	obj	_	_
12	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	10	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
14	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
15	set	set	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	conj	_	_
16	out	out	ADP	RP	_	15	compound:prt	_	_
17	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	fable	fable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
20	of	of	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	Frogs	Frog	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	19	nmod	_	_
23	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	25	cc	_	_
24	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	25	det	_	_
25	Well	Well	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	22	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | imperative | you *not said here* | the reasoning |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reasoning=Theme |
| 2 | **decline** | present | the Frog |  |  |  |  |  | vn reject-77.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **not** **enter** | to-infinitive | the Frog *not said here* | the |  |  |  | well *property* | vn escape-51.1-1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme the=Destination |
| 4 | **set out** | participle | the Frog *not said here* |  |  | the fable of the Frogs and the Well |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .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 reasons that the well might be full of stones, and the pair could not climb out of it again.

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e3:o1:1
# text = He reasons that the well might be full of stones, and the pair could not climb out of it again.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	reasons	reason	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	well	well	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	acl:relcl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	stones	stone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
15	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
16	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	17	advmod	_	_
17	climb	climb	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	conj	_	_
18	out	out	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	of	of	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	17	obl	_	_
21	again	again	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | might | the well | reasons *not said here* |  |  |  | of stones; full *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **climb** | could | the pair |  |  | well | again |  | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme out it=Trajectory |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He reasons that the well may be cold and the pair would soon tire of swimming.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e3:o2:1
# text = He reasons that the well may be cold and the pair would soon tire of swimming.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	reasons	reason	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	well	well	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	cold	cold	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	acl:relcl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
12	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
13	soon	soon	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	14	advmod	_	_
14	tire	tire	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	swimming	swimming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | may | the well | reasons *not said here* |  |  |  | cold *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **tire** | would | the pair |  |  |  |  | of swimming; soon *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He reasons that, should the well dry up as the marsh did, the pair would be unable to escape.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e3:o3:1
# text = He reasons that, should the well dry up as the marsh did, the pair would be unable to escape.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	reasons	reason	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	8	advmod	_	_
8	dry	dry	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
9	up	up	ADP	RP	_	8	compound:prt	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	marsh	marsh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	_
17	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
18	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	19	cop	_	_
19	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
20	to	to	PART	TO	_	21	mark	_	_
21	escape	escape	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	19	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dry up** | should | reasons |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **do** | past | the marsh |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | would | the pair |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **escape** | to-infinitive | the pair *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He reasons that, should the well dry up as the marsh did, the pair would be unable to escape, and so he refuses to jump in with his companion at all.

<!-- fold The tree, 31 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:150-pg11339-part20:e3:o4:1
# text = He reasons that, should the well dry up as the marsh did, the pair would be unable to escape, and so he refuses to jump in with his companion at all.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	reasons	reason	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	8	advmod	_	_
8	dry	dry	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
9	up	up	ADP	RP	_	8	compound:prt	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	marsh	marsh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	_
17	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
18	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	19	cop	_	_
19	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	conj	_	_
20	to	to	PART	TO	_	21	mark	_	_
21	escape	escape	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	19	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	26	punct	_	_
23	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	26	cc	_	_
24	so	so	ADV	RB	_	26	advmod	_	_
25	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	26	nsubj	_	_
26	refuses	refuse	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
27	to	to	PART	TO	_	28	mark	_	_
28	jump	jump	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	26	xcomp	_	_
29	in	in	ADV	RB	_	28	advmod	_	_
30	with	with	ADP	IN	_	32	case	_	_
31	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	32	nmod:poss	_	_
32	companion	companion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	obl	_	_
33	at	at	ADP	IN	_	34	case	_	_
34	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	32	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dry up** | should | reasons |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **do** | past | the marsh |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | would | the pair |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **escape** | to-infinitive | the pair *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **refuse** | present | marsh | reasons *not said here* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 6 | **not** **jump in** | to-infinitive | marsh *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with marsh's companion at all | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, a…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/e2/)
- next →: [Aesop's Fables, The Farmer, His Boy, a…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/150-pg11339-part20/e4/)
- ↑ 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/)