---
title: What reason does the narrator give for the Raja's decision to hide a… — Indian Fairy Tales, Balna, part 5: Lam… · tree and pragmatics
description: What reason does the narrator give for the Raja's decision to hide and observe his daughters at their cooking? Exam question 3 of lesson 1821 «Indian Fairy Tales, Balna, part 5: Lambikin is tricked into a drum and eaten, then the Raja's daughters are starved by a cruel stepmother» of the books cours
---

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# Exam question 3 · Indian Fairy Tales, Balna, part 5: Lambikin is tricked int…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What reason does the narrator give for the Raja's decision to hide and observe his daughters at their cooking?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** reason, Raja, daughters · **What happens:** give, hide, observe, decide, cook · **To what, where:** daughters, cooking

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 1821 «Indian Fairy Tales, Balna, part 5: Lambikin is tricked into a drum and eaten, then the Raja's daughters are starved by a cruel stepmother» 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/1821-pg7128-part5/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1821-pg7128-part5:e3:1
# text = What reason does the narrator give for the Raja's decision to hide and observe his daughters at their cooking?
1	What	what	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:outer	_	_
3	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	narrator	narrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	give	give	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Raja	Raja	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	decision	decision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	hide	hide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
15	observe	observe	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	conj	_	_
16	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	daughters	daughter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	_
18	at	at	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	20	nmod:poss	_	_
20	cooking	cooking	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · do-support | what reason |  |  |  |  | for the Raja's decision | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent for decision=Asset |
| 2 | **hide** | to-infinitive | what reason *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **observe** | infinitive | what reason *not said here* | narrator's daughters |  | daughters's cooking |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent daughter=Topic |
| 4 | **decide** |  | the Raja |  |  |  |  |  | nom decision «act transitive»: poss=agent |
| 5 | **cook** |  | daughters *= daughter* |  |  |  |  |  | nom cooking «act 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The dust that ruined his favourite bowls

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1821-pg7128-part5:e3:o1:1
# text = The dust that ruined his favourite bowls
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dust	dust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	ruined	ruin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	favourite	favourite	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	bowls	bowl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ruin** | past | the dust | dust's favourite bowls |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bowl=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The mud that had repeatedly spoiled his dinner

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1821-pg7128-part5:e3:o2:1
# text = The mud that had repeatedly spoiled his dinner
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mud	mud	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	repeatedly	repeatedly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	spoiled	spoil	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl:relcl	_	_
7	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	dinner	dinner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because the widow had insulted him in front of the whole court and his family

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1821-pg7128-part5:e3:o3:1
# text = Because the widow had insulted him in front of the whole court and his family
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	widow	widow	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	insulted	insult	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	court	court	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	15	nmod:poss	_	_
15	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **insult** | past · perfect · passive |  | the widow |  | front of the whole court and widow's family |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Experiencer he=Result |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The stones that kept breaking his teeth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1821-pg7128-part5:e3:o4:1
# text = The stones that kept breaking his teeth
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	stones	stone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	kept	keep	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	breaking	break	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	xcomp	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | past | the stones |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **break** | gerund | the stones *not said here* | his teeth |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer tooth=Patient |

<!-- 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.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
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