---
title: It is given that the Otter vanished in pursuit of a May-fly. State t… — The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, pa… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that the Otter vanished in pursuit of a May-fly. State the convention which governed the Rat's response. Exam question 4 of lesson 27 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 3: The River Bank (the Otter, a glimpse of Badger, and Toad in his new boat)» of the books course of Mova's prim
---

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# Exam question 4 · The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 3: The River Bank…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that the Otter vanished in pursuit of a May-fly. State the convention which governed the Rat's response.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Otter, you, convention · **What happens:** give, vanish, pursue, state, govern · **To what, where:** It, pursuit, May fly, convention, response

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 27 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 3: The River Bank (the Otter, a glimpse of Badger, and Toad in his new boat)» 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/27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that the Otter vanished in pursuit of a May-fly.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad:e4:1
# text = It is given that the Otter vanished in pursuit of a May-fly.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Otter	Otter	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	vanished	vanish	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	pursuit	pursuit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
12	May	May	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	fly	fly	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **vanish** | past | the Otter |  |  | pursuit of a May fly |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **pursue** |  |  | a May fly |  |  |  |  | nom pursuit «act transitive»: of=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* State the convention which governed the Rat's response.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad:e4:2
# text = State the convention which governed the Rat's response.
1	State	state	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	convention	convention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
5	governed	govern	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	Rat	Rat	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **state** *speech: other* | imperative | you *not said here* | the convention |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent convention=Topic |
| 2 | **govern** | past | the convention | the Rat's response |  |  |  |  | vn supervision-95.2.2 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent response=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Etiquette forbade comment on a friend's sudden disappearance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad:e4:o1:1
# text = Etiquette forbade comment on a friend's sudden disappearance
1	Etiquette	Etiquette	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	forbade	forbid	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	comment	comment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	sudden	sudden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	disappearance	disappearance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forbid** | past | Etiquette | comment |  | a friend's sudden disappearance |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer comment=Theme |
| 2 | **disappear** |  | a friend |  |  |  |  |  | nom disappearance «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Etiquette required silence about the sudden vanishing of a friend

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad:e4:o2:1
# text = Etiquette required silence about the sudden vanishing of a friend
1	Etiquette	Etiquette	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	required	require	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	silence	silence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	sudden	sudden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	vanishing	vanishing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | past | Etiquette | silence |  |  |  | about the sudden vanishing of a friend | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme silence=Precondition |
| 2 | **vanish** |  | a friend |  |  |  |  |  | nom vanishing «event intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Etiquette forbade any comment on a friend's sudden disappearance, and so the Rat kept on eating his lunch quietly

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad:e4:o3:1
# text = Etiquette forbade any comment on a friend's sudden disappearance, and so the Rat kept on eating his lunch quietly
1	Etiquette	Etiquette	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	forbade	forbid	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	4	det	_	_
4	comment	comment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	sudden	sudden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	disappearance	disappearance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
13	so	so	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Rat	Rat	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
16	kept	keep	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
17	on	on	SCONJ	IN	_	18	mark	_	_
18	eating	eat	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	16	advcl	_	_
19	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	20	nmod:poss	_	_
20	lunch	lunch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	_
21	quietly	quietly	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forbid** | past | Etiquette | any comment |  | a friend's sudden disappearance |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer comment=Theme |
| 2 | **keep** | past | the Rat |  |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **eat** | gerund | the Rat *not said here* | Rat's lunch |  |  |  | quietly *property* | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lunch=Patient |
| 4 | **disappear** |  | a friend |  |  |  |  |  | nom disappearance «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Rules of the river forbade comment, so the Rat politely waited for the Otter to explain himself later at home

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad:e4:o4:1
# text = Rules of the river forbade comment, so the Rat politely waited for the Otter to explain himself later at home
1	Rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
5	forbade	forbid	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	comment	comment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	Rat	Rat	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	politely	politely	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	waited	wait	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Otter	Otter	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	explain	explain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	advcl	_	_
18	himself	himself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	17	obj	_	_
19	later	late	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	17	advmod	_	_
20	at	at	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
21	home	home	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forbid** | past | Rules of the river | comment |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer comment=Theme |
| 2 | **wait** | past | the Rat |  |  |  |  | for the Otter; politely *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **explain** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | the Rat *not said here* | Rat |  | home |  | late *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent himself=Topic |
| 4 | **rule** |  | the river |  |  |  |  |  | nom rule «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- 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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