---
title: In the fable of the Thrush and the Fowler, by what means was the bir… — Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Driver… · tree and pragmatics
description: In the fable of the Thrush and the Fowler, by what means was the bird finally captured? Exam question 2 of lesson 404 «Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Driver: a bolting ass is hauled back by the tail, and the fables that follow each end with a small lesson.» of the books course of Mova's primary sch
---

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# Exam question 2 · Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Driver: a bolting ass is h…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In the fable of the Thrush and the Fowler, by what means was the bird finally captured?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** fable · **What happens:** mean, be, capture · **To what, where:** bird

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 404 «Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Driver: a bolting ass is hauled back by the tail, and the fables that follow each end with a small lesson.» 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/404-pg21-part25/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:404-pg21-part25:e2:1
# text = In the fable of the Thrush and the Fowler, by what means was the bird finally captured?
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	fable	fable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Thrush	Thrush	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Fowler	fowler	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
12	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	13	nsubj	_	_
13	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
14	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
17	finally	finally	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
18	captured	capture	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	16	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	16	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the fable of the Thrush and the Fowler |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | the fable of the Thrush and the Fowler | the bird |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **capture** | participle |  | the bird *not said here* |  |  |  | finally *property* | vn steal-10.5-1 «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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By reeds smeared with sticky glue that the fowler had hidden in the marsh all morning.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:404-pg21-part25:e2:o1:1
# text = By reeds smeared with sticky glue that the fowler had hidden in the marsh all morning.
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	reeds	reed	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	smeared	smear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	sticky	sticky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	glue	glue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	fowler	fowler	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	hidden	hide	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl:relcl	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	marsh	marsh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	16	det	_	_
16	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **smear** | participle |  | reeds *not said here* |  |  |  | with sticky glue | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP.destination PP.theme»: agent=Agent with glue=Theme |
| 2 | **hide** | past · perfect · passive |  | sticky glue |  | the marsh  all morning |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: subject=Patient in marsh=Location |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By a cage made of willow wood.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:404-pg21-part25:e2:o2:1
# text = By a cage made of willow wood.
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cage	cage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	willow	willow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | participle |  | a cage *not said here* |  |  |  | of willow wood | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By reeds smeared with birdlime.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:404-pg21-part25:e2:o3:1
# text = By reeds smeared with birdlime.
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	reeds	reed	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	smeared	smear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	birdlime	birdlime	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **smear** | participle |  | reeds *not said here* |  |  |  | with birdlime | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP.destination PP.theme»: agent=Agent with birdlime=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By a large net thrown from the tall tree over its head.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:404-pg21-part25:e2:o4:1
# text = By a large net thrown from the tall tree over its head.
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	net	net	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
5	thrown	throw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	tall	tall	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	tree	tree	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
10	over	over	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **throw** | participle |  |  |  | the tall tree over tree's head |  | by a large net | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent from tree=Initial\_Location |

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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 Ass and His Driver…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/404-pg21-part25/e1/)
- next →: [Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Driver…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/404-pg21-part25/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Driver: a bolting ass is hauled back by the tail, and the fables that follow each end with a small lesson.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/404-pg21-part25/)