---
title: Explain why the miller, upon learning the nature of his bargain, cou… — Fairy Book, The Nixy of the Mill-Pond,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Explain why the miller, upon learning the nature of his bargain, could find no remedy beyond keeping his child from the pond. Exam question 4 of lesson 1702 «Fairy Book, The Nixy of the Mill-Pond, part 1: a poor miller strikes a bargain with a water spirit» of the books course of Mova's primary scho
---

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# Exam question 4 · Fairy Book, The Nixy of the Mill-Pond, part 1: a poor mill…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Explain why the miller, upon learning the nature of his bargain, could find no remedy beyond keeping his child from the pond.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, his · **What happens:** explain, learn, find, keep, bargain · **To what, where:** miller, nature, remedy, child, pond

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 1702 «Fairy Book, The Nixy of the Mill-Pond, part 1: a poor miller strikes a bargain with a water spirit» 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/1702-pg640-part26/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1702-pg640-part26:e4:1
# text = Explain why the miller, upon learning the nature of his bargain, could find no remedy beyond keeping his child from the pond.
1	Explain	explain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	1	advmod	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	miller	miller	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	upon	upon	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	learning	learn	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	bargain	bargain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
14	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
15	find	find	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
16	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	17	det	_	_
17	remedy	remedy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
18	beyond	beyond	ADP	IN	_	19	mark	_	_
19	keeping	keep	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	15	advcl	_	_
20	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	21	nmod:poss	_	_
21	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obj	_	_
22	from	from	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
23	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
24	pond	pond	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	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 miller |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent miller=Topic |
| 2 | **learn** | gerund | you *not said here* | the nature of his bargain |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nature=Topic |
| 3 | **find** | could | you *not said here* | no remedy |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent remedy=Topic |
| 4 | **keep** | gerund | you *not said here* |  | his child | the pond |  |  | vn forbid-64.4 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Causer child=Beneficiary from pond=Eventuality |
| 5 | **bargain** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom bargain «communication 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
because the nixy had already claimed the child and no one in the village had any power to undo the bargain

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1702-pg640-part26:e4:o1:1
# text = because the nixy had already claimed the child and no one in the village had any power to undo the bargain
1	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	nixy	nixy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	already	already	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	claimed	claim	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	15	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	11	det	_	_
11	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	village	village	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
15	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
16	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	17	det	_	_
17	power	power	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
18	to	to	PART	TO	_	19	mark	_	_
19	undo	undo	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	xcomp	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	bargain	bargain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **claim** *speech: other* | past · perfect · passive |  | the nixy |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic |
| 2 | **have** | past | the child and no one in the village | any power |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **undo** | to-infinitive | any power *not said here* | the bargain |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bargain=Patient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
because the nixy had cursed the whole house

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1702-pg640-part26:e4:o2:1
# text = because the nixy had cursed the whole house
1	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	nixy	nixy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	cursed	curse	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	house	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curse** | past · perfect · passive |  | the nixy |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
no one knew why

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1702-pg640-part26:e4:o3:1
# text = no one knew why
1	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	2	det	_	_
2	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	knew	know	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | past | no one |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
because no one could devise any other advice

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1702-pg640-part26:e4:o4:1
# text = because no one could devise any other advice
1	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	3	det	_	_
3	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	devise	devise	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
7	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	advice	advice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devise** | could | no one | any other advice |  |  |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent advice=Patient |

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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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