---
title: With reference to the text, why did the Hare fail to overtake the To… — Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young… · tree and pragmatics
description: With reference to the text, why did the Hare fail to overtake the Tortoise in the race? Exam question 3 of lesson 376 «Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young Ones, part 15: the young Larks fear the reapers, but their mother says the wheat is not ready yet» of the books course of Mova's primary schoo
---

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# Exam question 3 · Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young Ones, part 15: the…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
With reference to the text, why did the Hare fail to overtake the Tortoise in the race?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **What happens:** do, overtake · **To what, where:** Hare fail, Tortoise, race

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 376 «Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young Ones, part 15: the young Larks fear the reapers, but their mother says the wheat is not ready yet» 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/376-pg19994-part15/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:376-pg19994-part15:e3:1
# text = With reference to the text, why did the Hare fail to overtake the Tortoise in the race?
1	With	with	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	reference	reference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
7	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
8	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	advcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	Hare	Hare	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	fail	fail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	overtake	overtake	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	acl	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	Tortoise	Tortoise	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	race	race	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | past |  | the Hare fail |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fail=Eventuality |
| 2 | **overtake** | to-infinitive |  | the Tortoise |  | the race |  |  | 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 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He had slept while the Tortoise passed him and could not catch up in time

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:376-pg19994-part15:e3:o1:1
# text = He had slept while the Tortoise passed him and could not catch up in time
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	slept	sleep	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Tortoise	Tortoise	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	passed	pass	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	catch	catch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
13	up	up	ADP	RP	_	12	compound:prt	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sleep** | past · perfect | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **pass** | past | the Tortoise | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-3 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme he=Trajectory |
| 3 | **not** **catch up** | could | He *not said here* |  |  |  | time |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He had tripped on a stone and lost his place

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:376-pg19994-part15:e3:o2:1
# text = He had tripped on a stone and lost his place
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	tripped	trip	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	stone	stone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
9	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **trip** | past · perfect | He |  |  | a stone |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on stone=Trajectory |
| 2 | **lose** | past | He *not said here* | his place |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent place=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He had dozed while the Tortoise overtook him and was too late

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:376-pg19994-part15:e3:o3:1
# text = He had dozed while the Tortoise overtook him and was too late
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	dozed	doze	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Tortoise	Tortoise	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	overtook	overtake	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	too	too	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	late	late	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **doze** | past · perfect | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn snooze-40.4 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **overtake** | past | the Tortoise | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | past | the Tortoise *not said here* |  |  |  |  | late *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He had stopped to eat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:376-pg19994-part15:e3:o4:1
# text = He had stopped to eat
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	stopped	stop	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	eat	eat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | past · perfect | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **eat** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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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: [Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/376-pg19994-part15/e2/)
- next →: [Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/376-pg19994-part15/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Aesop's Fables, The Lark and Her Young Ones, part 15: the young Larks fear the reapers, but their mother says the wheat is not ready yet](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/376-pg19994-part15/)