---
title: By what means did the youth ensure that the dragon could not escape… — The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon… · tree and pragmatics
description: By what means did the youth ensure that the dragon could not escape from the box? Exam question 3 of lesson 1613 «The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon Was Tricked, part 2: a clever youth tricks a king, a shepherd and a dragon» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree a
---

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# Exam question 3 · The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon Was Tricked, part 2:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By what means did the youth ensure that the dragon could not escape from the box?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** youth, dragon · **What happens:** mean, do, ensure, not escape · **To what, where:** box

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 1613 «The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon Was Tricked, part 2: a clever youth tricks a king, a shepherd and a dragon» 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/1613-pg5615-part2/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1613-pg5615-part2:e3:1
# text = By what means did the youth ensure that the dragon could not escape from the box?
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
4	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	youth	youth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	ensure	ensure	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	dragon	dragon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
11	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	escape	escape	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	ccomp	_	_
14	from	from	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **do** | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **ensure** | present | the youth |  |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V that S»: agent=Precondition clause=Theme |
| 4 | **not** **escape** | could | the dragon |  |  | the box |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from box=Initial\_Location |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He hammered the lid with iron

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1613-pg5615-part2:e3:o1:1
# text = He hammered the lid with iron
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	hammered	hammer	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	lid	lid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	iron	iron	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hammer** | past | He | the lid |  |  |  | with iron | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent lid=Patient with iron=Instrument |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He drove long nails into the lid and sealed every crack with hot wax

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1613-pg5615-part2:e3:o2:1
# text = He drove long nails into the lid and sealed every crack with hot wax
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	drove	drive	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	nails	nail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	into	into	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	lid	lid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
9	sealed	seal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
10	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	11	det	_	_
11	crack	crack	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
12	with	with	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	wax	wax	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drive** | past | He | long nails |  | the lid and every sealed crack with hot wax |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent nail=Theme into lid=Trajectory |
| 2 | **seal** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn tape-22.4 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He carried the box to the river and drove long nails into the lid

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1613-pg5615-part2:e3:o3:1
# text = He carried the box to the river and drove long nails into the lid
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	carried	carry	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	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	drove	drive	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	nails	nail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
12	into	into	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	lid	lid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | past | He | the box |  | the river |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent box=Theme to river=Destination |
| 2 | **drive** | past | He *not said here* | long nails |  | the lid |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent nail=Theme into lid=Trajectory |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He drove long nails into the lid

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1613-pg5615-part2:e3:o4:1
# text = He drove long nails into the lid
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	drove	drive	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	nails	nail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	into	into	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	lid	lid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drive** | past | He | long nails |  | the lid |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent nail=Theme into lid=Trajectory |

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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: [The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1613-pg5615-part2/e2/)
- next →: [The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1613-pg5615-part2/e4/)
- ↑ back to [The Violet Fairy Book, How the Dragon Was Tricked, part 2: a clever youth tricks a king, a shepherd and a dragon](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1613-pg5615-part2/)