---
title: What lesson does the fable conclude by expressing in its moral? — Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Cock:… · tree and pragmatics
description: What lesson does the fable conclude by expressing in its moral? Exam question 4 of lesson 386 «Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Cock: a cat invents an excuse to eat a cock, and a wolf in sheep's clothing is killed by mistake» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and 
---

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# Exam question 4 · Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Cock: a cat invents an exc…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What lesson does the fable conclude by expressing in its moral?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** lesson, fable · **What happens:** do, conclude, express · **To what, where:** moral

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 386 «Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Cock: a cat invents an excuse to eat a cock, and a wolf in sheep's clothing is killed by mistake» 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/386-pg21-part7/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:386-pg21-part7:e4:1
# text = What lesson does the fable conclude by expressing in its moral?
1	What	what	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	lesson	lesson	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	fable	fable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	conclude	conclude	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
7	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	expressing	express	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	moral	moral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present | what lesson |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **conclude** | present | the fable |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 3 | **express** | gerund | the fable *not said here* |  |  | fable's moral |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=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 -->
That a wicked wolf who disguises himself as a sheep will eventually be found out by the shepherd

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:386-pg21-part7:e4:o1:1
# text = That a wicked wolf who disguises himself as a sheep will eventually be found out by the shepherd
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	wicked	wicked	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	wolf	wolf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	disguises	disguise	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	himself	himself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	6	obj	_	_
8	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	sheep	sheep	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
12	eventually	eventually	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
13	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	found	find	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
15	out	out	ADP	RP	_	14	compound:prt	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	shepherd	shepherd	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wolf** |  | That |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **disguise** | present | a wicked wolf | himself *= he* |  |  |  | as a sheep | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent himself=Destination |
| 3 | **find out** | future · passive | the shepherd | a wicked wolf |  |  |  | eventually *property* | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Topic |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That harm sought is harm found

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:386-pg21-part7:e4:o2:1
# text = That harm sought is harm found
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	found	find	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | that harm *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | present | that harm | harm |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **find** | participle |  | harm *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That harm sought brings harm back

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:386-pg21-part7:e4:o3:1
# text = That harm sought brings harm back
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl	_	_
4	brings	bring	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
6	back	back	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | that harm *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **bring back** | present | that harm | harm |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent harm=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That those who plan harm for others will surely be caught by the very harm they planned

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:386-pg21-part7:e4:o4:1
# text = That those who plan harm for others will surely be caught by the very harm they planned
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	nsubj	_	_
2	those	that	PRON	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	plan	plan	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
5	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
9	surely	surely	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	caught	catch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
12	by	by	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	very	very	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
16	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	17	nsubj	_	_
17	planned	plan	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **plan** | present |  | harm |  |  |  | for others | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent harm=Topic |
| 2 | **catch** | future · passive | the harm | those |  |  |  | surely *property* | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 3 | **plan** | past | others *= other* | the harm *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent harm=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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: [Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Cock:…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/386-pg21-part7/e3/)
- next →: [Aesop's Fables, The Ass and the Lapdog…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/387-pg21-part8/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Aesop's Fables, The Cat and the Cock: a cat invents an excuse to eat a cock, and a wolf in sheep's clothing is killed by mistake](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/386-pg21-part7/)