---
title: Specify the reason the Sultan's physicians prescribed the flesh of t… — Eastern tales, Hassebu, part 47: Hasse… · tree and pragmatics
description: Specify the reason the Sultan's physicians prescribed the flesh of the King of the Snakes. Exam question 3 of lesson 1796 «Eastern tales, Hassebu, part 47: Hassebu is left to die in a honey pit, escapes through a scorpion's hole, and is caught at the baths» of the books course of Mova's primary scho
---

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# Exam question 3 · Eastern tales, Hassebu, part 47: Hassebu is left to die in…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Specify the reason the Sultan's physicians prescribed the flesh of the King of the Snakes.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, physicians · **What happens:** specify, prescribe · **To what, where:** reason, flesh

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 1796 «Eastern tales, Hassebu, part 47: Hassebu is left to die in a honey pit, escapes through a scorpion's hole, and is caught at the baths» 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/1796-pg641-part47/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1796-pg641-part47:e3:1
# text = Specify the reason the Sultan's physicians prescribed the flesh of the King of the Snakes.
1	Specify	specify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Sultan	Sultan	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	physicians	physician	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	prescribed	prescribe	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	flesh	flesh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	King	King	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	Snakes	snake	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **specify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **prescribe** | past | the Sultan's physicians | the flesh of the King of the Snakes |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
Only the blood could heal the wound

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1796-pg641-part47:e3:o1:1
# text = Only the blood could heal the wound
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	blood	blood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	heal	heal	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	wound	wound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **heal** | could | the blood | the wound |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent wound=Patient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only that flesh could cure the illness

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1796-pg641-part47:e3:o2:1
# text = Only that flesh could cure the illness
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
3	flesh	flesh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	cure	cure	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	illness	illness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cure** | could | that flesh | the illness |  |  |  |  | vn free-10.6.3-1-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Causer illness=Source |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They had tried herbs and prayers for years but nothing worked against the illness

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1796-pg641-part47:e3:o3:1
# text = They had tried herbs and prayers for years but nothing worked against the illness
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	tried	try	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	herbs	herb	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	prayers	prayer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
9	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	11	nsubj	_	_
11	worked	work	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
12	against	against	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	illness	illness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | past · perfect | They | herbs and prayers |  |  | year |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent herb=Eventuality |
| 2 | **work** | past | nothing |  |  |  |  | against the illness | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The wise men had read that only the flesh of the snake king could cure a fever

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1796-pg641-part47:e3:o4:1
# text = The wise men had read that only the flesh of the snake king could cure a fever
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	wise	wise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	men	man	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	read	read	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
7	only	only	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	flesh	flesh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
14	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
15	cure	cure	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	ccomp	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	fever	fever	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **read** | past · perfect · passive |  | the wise men |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **cure** | could | the flesh of the snake king | a fever |  |  |  |  | vn free-10.6.3-1-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Causer fever=Source |

<!-- div src -->

**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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