---
title: What was the reason the Simpleton gave for striking the tree with hi… — Russian Folk-Tales, The Simpleton: the… · tree and pragmatics
description: What was the reason the Simpleton gave for striking the tree with his hatchet? Exam question 2 of lesson 420 «Russian Folk-Tales, The Simpleton: the ox sold to the Birch, the gold, and the goat's head» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the quest
---

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# Exam question 2 · Russian Folk-Tales, The Simpleton: the ox sold to the Birc…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What was the reason the Simpleton gave for striking the tree with his hatchet?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** reason, Simpleton · **What happens:** be, give, strike · **To what, where:** reason, tree

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 420 «Russian Folk-Tales, The Simpleton: the ox sold to the Birch, the gold, and the goat's head» 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/420-pg22373-part12/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:420-pg22373-part12:e2:1
# text = What was the reason the Simpleton gave for striking the tree with his hatchet?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	Simpleton	Simpleton	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	gave	give	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	striking	strike	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	tree	tree	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	with	with	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	hatchet	hatchet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the reason |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **give** | past | the Simpleton | the reason *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 3 | **strike** | gerund | the Simpleton *not said here* | the tree |  |  |  | with Simpleton's hatchet | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent tree=Patient with hatchet=Instrument |

<!-- .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 -->
Its repeated promises to pay him back the money, and its rude creaking

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:420-pg22373-part12:e2:o1:1
# text = Its repeated promises to pay him back the money, and its rude creaking
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	promises	promise	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	pay	pay	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	acl	_	_
6	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	back	back	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
13	rude	rude	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	creaking	creaking	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 2 | **pay back** | to-infinitive |  |  | him *= he* |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP NP»: agent=Agent he=Recipient money=Asset |
| 3 | **promise** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom promise «communication transitive»: poss=agent |
| 4 | **creak** |  | money |  |  |  |  |  | nom creaking «event intransitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It had broken all its promises to pay him, and then it creaked at him all day long

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:420-pg22373-part12:e2:o2:1
# text = It had broken all its promises to pay him, and then it creaked at him all day long
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	6	det:predet	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	promises	promise	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	pay	pay	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
9	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	14	advmod	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	creaked	creak	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
15	at	at	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obl	_	_
17	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	18	det	_	_
18	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl:unmarked	_	_
19	long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | past · perfect · passive |  | It |  |  |  | long *property* | vn break-45.1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Patient promise=Result |
| 2 | **pay** | to-infinitive |  | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Asset |
| 3 | **creak** | past | it |  |  |  | then; day | at him *= he* | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme at he=Location |
| 4 | **promise** |  | its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom promise «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its repeated promises to pay

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:420-pg22373-part12:e2:o3:1
# text = Its repeated promises to pay
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	promises	promise	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	pay	pay	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 2 | **pay** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **promise** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom promise «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its endless empty promises

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:420-pg22373-part12:e2:o4:1
# text = Its endless empty promises
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
2	endless	endless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	empty	empty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	promises	promise	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **promise** |  | Its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom promise «communication transitive»: poss=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.

<!-- /div -->

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