---
title: What undertaking did the merchant give the genius before the genius… — Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the G… · tree and pragmatics
description: What undertaking did the merchant give the genius before the genius consented to the delay? Exam question 4 of lesson 162 «Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the Genius, part 2: Scheherazade wins more days by telling a tale of a merchant facing a fierce genie» of the books course of Mova's primary sch
---

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# Exam question 4 · Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the Genius, part 2: Scheh…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What undertaking did the merchant give the genius before the genius consented to the delay?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** merchant · **What happens:** undertake, give, consent · **To what, where:** genius

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 162 «Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the Genius, part 2: Scheherazade wins more days by telling a tale of a merchant facing a fierce genie» 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/162-pg128-part2/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:162-pg128-part2:e4:1
# text = What undertaking did the merchant give the genius before the genius consented to the delay?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	2	obj	_	_
2	undertaking	undertake	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	csubj	_	_
3	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	merchant	merchant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	give	give	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	genius	genius	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	before	before	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	genius	genius	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
12	consented	consent	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	acl	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	delay	delay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **undertake** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality |
| 2 | **give** | past · do-support | the merchant | the genius |  |  | before the genius |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent genius=Theme |
| 3 | **consent** | participle |  | the genius *not said here* |  |  |  | to the delay | vn acquiesce-95.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent to delay=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 pledged to return to the trees with his family and all his debts paid

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:162-pg128-part2:e4:o1:1
# text = He pledged to return to the trees with his family and all his debts paid
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pledged	pledge	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	return	return	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
12	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	14	det:predet	_	_
13	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	debts	debt	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
15	paid	pay	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pledge** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn promise-37.13 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **return** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to the trees *result*; with his family | vn convert-26.6.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Patient to tree=Result |
| 3 | **pay** | past | his debts |  |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He swore to return to the fountain

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:162-pg128-part2:e4:o2:1
# text = He swore to return to the fountain
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	swore	swear	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	return	return	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	fountain	fountain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swear** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **return** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to the fountain *result* | vn convert-26.6.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Patient to fountain=Result |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He pledged to return on the appointed day

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:162-pg128-part2:e4:o3:1
# text = He pledged to return on the appointed day
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pledged	pledge	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	return	return	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	appointed	appoint	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pledge** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn promise-37.13 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **return** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  | day |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **appoint** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He promised to come back on time

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:162-pg128-part2:e4:o4:1
# text = He promised to come back on time
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	promised	promise	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	come	come	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	back	back	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **promise** *speech: promise* | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn promise-37.13 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **come back** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  | time |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=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: [Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the G…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/162-pg128-part2/e3/)
- next →: [Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the G…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/163-pg128-part3/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Arabian Nights, The Merchant and the Genius, part 2: Scheherazade wins more days by telling a tale of a merchant facing a fierce genie](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/162-pg128-part2/)