---
title: What was the nature of the instrument with which Helena was instruct… — Pink Fairy Book, Prince Ficklé and Fai… · tree and pragmatics
description: What was the nature of the instrument with which Helena was instructed to empty the pond? Exam question 4 of lesson 1910 «Pink Fairy Book, Prince Ficklé and Fair Helena, part 1: a kind Fairy helps Helena sort the feathers and empty the pond, and her cruel stepmother plans something worse» of the boo
---

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# Exam question 4 · Pink Fairy Book, Prince Ficklé and Fair Helena, part 1: a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What was the nature of the instrument with which Helena was instructed to empty the pond?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** nature · **What happens:** be, instruct, empty · **To what, where:** Helena, pond

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 1910 «Pink Fairy Book, Prince Ficklé and Fair Helena, part 1: a kind Fairy helps Helena sort the feathers and empty the pond, and her cruel stepmother plans something worse» 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/1910-pg7277-part47/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1910-pg7277-part47:e4:1
# text = What was the nature of the instrument with which Helena was instructed to empty the pond?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	instrument	instrument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
10	Helena	Helena	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
11	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	instructed	instruct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl:relcl	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	empty	empty	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	xcomp	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	pond	pond	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the nature of the instrument |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **instruct** *speech: other* | past · passive |  | Helena |  |  |  | with the instrument | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP how S\_INF»: subject=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 3 | **empty** | to-infinitive |  | the pond |  |  |  |  | vn clear-10.3-1 «NP V NP.source»: agent=Agent pond=Source |

<!-- .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 -->
It was a rusty old bucket with a hole

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1910-pg7277-part47:e4:o1:1
# text = It was a rusty old bucket with a hole
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	rusty	rusty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	bucket	bucket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	hole	hole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | It | a rusty old bucket |  |  |  | with a hole | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was a basket that leaked like a sieve

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1910-pg7277-part47:e4:o2:1
# text = It was a basket that leaked like a sieve
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	basket	basket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	leaked	leak	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	like	like	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	sieve	sieve	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | It | a basket |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **leak** | past | a basket |  |  |  |  | like a sieve | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Source |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The instrument was a wooden spoon that was full of holes and had been broken by the stepmother in a fit of anger that morning

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1910-pg7277-part47:e4:o3:1
# text = The instrument was a wooden spoon that was full of holes and had been broken by the stepmother in a fit of anger that morning
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	instrument	instrument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	wooden	wooden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	spoon	spoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
8	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	acl:relcl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	holes	hole	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
14	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	conj	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	stepmother	stepmother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	fit	fit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	_
22	of	of	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
23	anger	anger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nmod	_	_
24	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	25	det	_	_
25	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nmod:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the instrument | a wooden spoon |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | past | a wooden spoon |  |  |  |  | of holes; full *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **break** | past · perfect · passive | the stepmother in a fit of anger  that morning |  |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The instrument was a spoon that was full of holes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1910-pg7277-part47:e4:o4:1
# text = The instrument was a spoon that was full of holes
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	instrument	instrument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	spoon	spoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	acl:relcl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	holes	hole	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the instrument | a spoon |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | past | a spoon |  |  |  |  | of holes; full *property* | tree rules |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ← previous: [Pink Fairy Book, Prince Ficklé and Fai…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1910-pg7277-part47/e3/)
- next →: [Violet Fairy Book, Helena, : Helena's…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1911-pg7277-part48/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Pink Fairy Book, Prince Ficklé and Fair Helena, part 1: a kind Fairy helps Helena sort the feathers and empty the pond, and her cruel stepmother plans something worse](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1910-pg7277-part47/)