---
title: Explain the purpose of the Scarecrow's action in seizing the oil-can… — Oz, The Cowardly Lion, part 7: a Lion… · tree and pragmatics
description: Explain the purpose of the Scarecrow's action in seizing the oil-can from Dorothy's basket. Exam question 4 of lesson 1592 «Oz, The Cowardly Lion, part 7: a Lion attacks the travellers, is slapped, and joins them» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics 
---

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# Exam question 4 · Oz, The Cowardly Lion, part 7: a Lion attacks the travelle…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Explain the purpose of the Scarecrow's action in seizing the oil-can from Dorothy's basket.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, action, Scarecrow · **What happens:** explain, seize, purpose, act · **To what, where:** purpose, oil

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 1592 «Oz, The Cowardly Lion, part 7: a Lion attacks the travellers, is slapped, and joins them» 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/1592-pg55-part7/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1592-pg55-part7:e4:1
# text = Explain the purpose of the Scarecrow's action in seizing the oil-can from Dorothy's basket.
1	Explain	explain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Scarecrow	Scarecrow	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
9	in	in	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
10	seizing	seize	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	14	advcl	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	_
15	from	from	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
16	Dorothy	Dorothy	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	18	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	's	's	PART	POS	_	16	case	_	_
18	basket	basket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* | the purpose of the Scarecrow's action |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent purpose=Topic |
| 2 | **seize** | gerund | you *not said here* | the oil |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent oil=Theme |
| 3 | **purpose** |  | the Scarecrow's action |  |  |  |  |  | nom purpose «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |
| 4 | **act** |  | the Scarecrow |  |  |  |  |  | nom action «act intransitive»: poss=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 wanted the oil.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1592-pg55-part7:e4:o1:1
# text = He wanted the oil.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** | past | He | the oil |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot oil=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He oiled the Woodman's jaws so that he could speak again.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1592-pg55-part7:e4:o2:1
# text = He oiled the Woodman's jaws so that he could speak again.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	oiled	oil	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	Woodman	Woodman	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	jaws	jaw	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
7	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	11	mark	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	fixed	_	_
9	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
10	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	speak	speak	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
12	again	again	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **oil** | past | He | the Woodman's jaws |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent jaw=Destination |
| 2 | **speak** *speech: other* | could | he |  |  |  | again |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He hoped to sell the oil at market.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1592-pg55-part7:e4:o3:1
# text = He hoped to sell the oil at market.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	hoped	hope	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	sell	sell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	market	market	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hope** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn long-32.2 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **sell** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | the oil |  | market |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent oil=Theme at market=Asset |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He wanted to keep the basket for himself.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1592-pg55-part7:e4:o4:1
# text = He wanted to keep the basket for himself.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	keep	keep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	basket	basket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	himself	himself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **keep** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | the basket |  |  |  | for himself *= he* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent basket=Theme |

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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.

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- ← previous: [Oz, The Cowardly Lion, part 7: a Lion…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1592-pg55-part7/e3/)
- next →: [Wizard of Oz, The Deadly Poppy Field,…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1594-pg55-part9/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Oz, The Cowardly Lion, part 7: a Lion attacks the travellers, is slapped, and joins them](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1592-pg55-part7/)