---
title: Pursuant to the narrative, by what means did the old man's ashes cau… — pg641, The Fairy of the Dawn, part 29:… · tree and pragmatics
description: Pursuant to the narrative, by what means did the old man's ashes cause the cherry-trees to blossom? Exam question 1 of lesson 1778 «pg641, The Fairy of the Dawn, part 29: Florea meets a three-headed dragon at the bridge» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and prag
---

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# Exam question 1 · pg641, The Fairy of the Dawn, part 29: Florea meets a thre…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pursuant to the narrative, by what means did the old man's ashes cause the cherry-trees to blossom?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** narrative, ashes · **What happens:** mean, do, cause, blossom · **To what, where:** cherry trees

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 1778 «pg641, The Fairy of the Dawn, part 29: Florea meets a three-headed dragon at the bridge» 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/1778-pg641-part29/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1778-pg641-part29:e1:1
# text = Pursuant to the narrative, by what means did the old man's ashes cause the cherry-trees to blossom?
1	Pursuant	pursuant	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
2	to	to	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	narrative	narrative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	nsubj	_	_
8	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
9	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	's	's	PART	POS	_	12	case	_	_
14	ashes	ash	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
15	cause	cause	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	parataxis	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
17	cherry	cherry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	_
20	to	to	PART	TO	_	21	mark	_	_
21	blossom	blossom	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the narrative |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **do** | past | the narrative |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **cause** | present | the old man's ashes | the cherry trees |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition tree=Patient |
| 4 | **blossom** | to-infinitive | the old man's ashes *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_cos-45.5 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

<!-- .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 -->
By being thrown upward by the old man from the tree onto the blossoming branches

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1778-pg641-part29:e1:o1:1
# text = By being thrown upward by the old man from the tree onto the blossoming branches
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	thrown	throw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	upward	upward	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	tree	tree	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
12	onto	onto	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	blossoming	blossoming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	branches	branch	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **throw** | gerund · passive | the old man |  |  | the tree |  | onto the blossoming branches; upward *property* | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location PP.destination»: agent=Agent from tree=Initial\_Location onto branch=Destination |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By being scattered upon the branches

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1778-pg641-part29:e1:o2:1
# text = By being scattered upon the branches
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	scattered	scatter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	branches	branch	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **scatter** | gerund · passive |  |  |  | the branches |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V PP.destination»: upon branch=Destination |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By being sprinkled on the roots

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1778-pg641-part29:e1:o3:1
# text = By being sprinkled on the roots
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	sprinkled	sprinkle	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	roots	root	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sprinkle** | gerund · passive |  |  |  | the roots |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V PP.destination»: on root=Destination |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By being carefully scattered upon all the bare branches of the trees

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1778-pg641-part29:e1:o4:1
# text = By being carefully scattered upon all the bare branches of the trees
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
2	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	scattered	scatter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	9	det:predet	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	bare	bare	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	branches	branch	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **scatter** | gerund · passive |  |  |  | all bare branches of the trees |  | carefully *property* | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V PP.destination»: upon branch=Destination |

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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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