---
title: Which of the following describes accurately the initial situation of… — Red Fairy Book, The Twelve Dancing Pri… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following describes accurately the initial situation of the protagonist, Michael, in the opening passage of the tale? Exam question 1 of lesson 1504 «Red Fairy Book, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, part 1: Michael the Star Gazer finds two magic laurels» of the books course of Mova's prim
---

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# Exam question 1 · Red Fairy Book, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, part 1: Mic…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following describes accurately the initial situation of the protagonist, Michael, in the opening passage of the tale?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** tale · **What happens:** follow, be, pass

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 1504 «Red Fairy Book, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, part 1: Michael the Star Gazer finds two magic laurels» 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/1504-pg540-part1/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1504-pg540-part1:e1:1
# text = Which of the following describes accurately the initial situation of the protagonist, Michael, in the opening passage of the tale?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	9	case	_	_
5	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
6	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	initial	initial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	protagonist	protagonist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
14	Michael	Michael	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	opening	opening	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	_
20	of	of	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	tale	tale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | of the initial situation; of the protagonist and the opening passage of the tale; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **pass** |  | the tale |  |  |  |  |  | nom passage «act 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is a wealthy merchant's son who hunts in the forest and fears the duke

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1504-pg540-part1:e1:o1:1
# text = He is a wealthy merchant's son who hunts in the forest and fears the duke
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	wealthy	wealthy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	merchant	merchant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	son	son	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	hunts	hunt	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	forest	forest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	fears	fear	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	conj	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	duke	duke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | He | a wealthy merchant's son |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **hunt** | present | a wealthy merchant's son |  |  | the forest |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V PP.theme PP.location»: agent=Agent in forest=Location |
| 3 | **fear** | present | a wealthy merchant's son *not said here* | the duke |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer duke=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is a poor farm boy who dreams of riches, is laughed at by the village, and hopes one day to become the Duke's heir

<!-- fold The tree, 26 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1504-pg540-part1:e1:o2:1
# text = He is a poor farm boy who dreams of riches, is laughed at by the village, and hopes one day to become the Duke's heir
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	poor	poor	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	farm	farm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	dreams	dream	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	riches	rich	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	laughed	laugh	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	advcl	_	_
14	at	at	ADP	IN	_	13	obl	_	_
15	by	by	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	village	village	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
19	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	hopes	hope	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	conj	_	_
21	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	22	nummod	_	_
22	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl:unmarked	_	_
23	to	to	PART	TO	_	24	mark	_	_
24	become	become	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	20	xcomp	_	_
25	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	26	det	_	_
26	Duke	Duke	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	28	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	's	's	PART	POS	_	26	case	_	_
28	heir	heir	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | He | a poor farm boy |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **dream** | present | a poor farm boy |  |  |  |  | of riches | vn cognize-85 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **laugh** | present · passive | the village |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **hope** | present | a poor farm boy *not said here* |  |  |  | day |  | vn long-32.2 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 5 | **become** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a poor farm boy *not said here* | the Duke's heir |  |  |  |  | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is a destitute orphan who tends cattle and dreams of marrying a princess

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1504-pg540-part1:e1:o3:1
# text = He is a destitute orphan who tends cattle and dreams of marrying a princess
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	destitute	destitute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	orphan	orphan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	tends	tend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	cattle	cattle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	dreams	dream	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	conj	_	_
11	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
12	marrying	marry	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	princess	princess	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | He | a destitute orphan |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **tend** | present | a destitute orphan | cattle and dreams |  |  |  |  | vn caring-75.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cattle=Theme |
| 3 | **marry** | gerund | cattle and dreams *not said here* | a princess |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent princess=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is a destitute orphan who tends cattle, sings to them, and secretly plans to win the hand of a princess at the castle

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1504-pg540-part1:e1:o4:1
# text = He is a destitute orphan who tends cattle, sings to them, and secretly plans to win the hand of a princess at the castle
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	destitute	destitute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	orphan	orphan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	tends	tend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	cattle	cattle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	sings	sing	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	secretly	secretly	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
16	plans	plan	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	win	win	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	xcomp	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	_
21	of	of	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
23	princess	princess	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nmod	_	_
24	at	at	ADP	IN	_	26	case	_	_
25	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	26	det	_	_
26	castle	castle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | He | a destitute orphan |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **tend** | present | a destitute orphan | cattle |  |  |  |  | vn caring-75.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cattle=Theme |
| 3 | **sing** *speech: express* | present | a destitute orphan *not said here* |  | cattle |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent to they=Recipient |
| 4 | **plan** | present |  |  |  |  |  | secretly *property* | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 5 | **win** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | the hand of a princess |  | the castle |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.source NP.asset»: agent=Agent hand=Theme at castle=Asset |

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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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