---
title: State the reason the narrator gives for severing his own finger. — Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw,… · tree and pragmatics
description: State the reason the narrator gives for severing his own finger. Exam question 3 of lesson 1990 «Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw, part 9: Conall tells the king of a tree-breaking cat fight, then of a giant's cave and a stolen ring, and ends stranded on an island» of the books course of Mova's 
---

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# Exam question 3 · Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw, part 9: Conall tell…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
State the reason the narrator gives for severing his own finger.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** narrator · **What happens:** give, sever · **To what, where:** State reason, own finger

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 1990 «Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw, part 9: Conall tells the king of a tree-breaking cat fight, then of a giant's cave and a stolen ring, and ends stranded on an island» 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/1990-pg7885-part9/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1990-pg7885-part9:e3:1
# text = State the reason the narrator gives for severing his own finger.
1	State	state	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	narrator	narrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	gives	give	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	severing	sever	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
9	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
10	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	finger	finger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present | the narrator | the State reason *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **sever** | gerund | the narrator *not said here* | narrator's own finger |  |  |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent finger=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
The ring would reveal where he was hiding

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1990-pg7885-part9:e3:o1:1
# text = The ring would reveal where he was hiding
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	reveal	reveal	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	8	advmod	_	_
6	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	hiding	hide	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reveal** | would | the ring |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **hide** | past · progressive | he |  |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The giant's ring would reveal the king's position to the giant at once, so he cut it off

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1990-pg7885-part9:e3:o2:1
# text = The giant's ring would reveal the king's position to the giant at once, so he cut it off
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	giant	giant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	reveal	reveal	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	's	's	PART	POS	_	8	case	_	_
10	position	position	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	giant	giant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	obl	_	_
14	at	at	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
17	so	so	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
18	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	19	nsubj	_	_
19	cut	cut	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
20	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	19	obj	_	_
21	off	off	ADP	RP	_	19	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reveal** | would | the giant's ring | the king's position | the giant |  |  |  | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent position=Topic to giant=Recipient |
| 2 | **cut off** | past | king | position |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector it=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The giant's ring could track where he hid

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1990-pg7885-part9:e3:o3:1
# text = The giant's ring could track where he hid
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	giant	giant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	track	track	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	9	advmod	_	_
8	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	hid	hide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **track** | could | the giant's ring |  |  |  |  |  | vn stalk-35.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **hide** | past | giant |  |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The giant's magic ring would reveal his position

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1990-pg7885-part9:e3:o4:1
# text = The giant's magic ring would reveal his position
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	giant	giant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	magic	magic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	reveal	reveal	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	position	position	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reveal** | would | the giant's magic ring | giant's position |  |  |  |  | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent position=Topic |

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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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- ← previous: [Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw,…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1990-pg7885-part9/e2/)
- next →: [Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw,…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1990-pg7885-part9/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Celtic Fairy Tales, Conall Yellowclaw, part 9: Conall tells the king of a tree-breaking cat fight, then of a giant's cave and a stolen ring, and ends stranded on an island](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1990-pg7885-part9/)