---
title: In what manner did Brer Fox respond to the failure of his three blow… — Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Su… · tree and pragmatics
description: In what manner did Brer Fox respond to the failure of his three blows upon the rock? Exam question 3 of lesson 585 «Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Succeeded in Raising a Dust: Fox is tied up and beaten, Rabbit wins a wife» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree a
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/585-pg2306-part21/e3/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/) / [Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Su…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/585-pg2306-part21/) / e3

# Exam question 3 · Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Succeeded in Raising a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In what manner did Brer Fox respond to the failure of his three blows upon the rock?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Brer, three blows · **What happens:** fox, fail, blow · **To what, where:** respond, manner

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 585 «Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Succeeded in Raising a Dust: Fox is tied up and beaten, Rabbit wins a wife» 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/585-pg2306-part21/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:585-pg2306-part21:e3:1
# text = In what manner did Brer Fox respond to the failure of his three blows upon the rock?
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	what	what	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	3	det	_	_
3	manner	manner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
4	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	Brer	Brer	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	Fox	fox	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	respond	respond	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
13	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	14	nummod	_	_
14	blows	blow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
15	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fox** | past · do-support | Brer | respond |  | what manner |  | to the failure of Brer's three blows upon the rock | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus respond=Experiencer |
| 2 | **fail** |  | Brer's three blows upon the rock |  |  |  |  |  | nom failure «act intransitive»: of=agent |
| 3 | **blow** |  | Brer |  |  |  |  | upon the rock | nom blow «act intransitive»: poss=agent upon=obl |

<!-- .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 -->
He spat upon his hands and swung with great force, then yelled at the ladies to move back

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:585-pg2306-part21:e3:o1:1
# text = He spat upon his hands and swung with great force, then yelled at the ladies to move back
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	spat	spat	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	swung	swing	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	conj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	force	force	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	13	advmod	_	_
13	yelled	yell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	parataxis	_	_
14	at	at	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	ladies	lady	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obl	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	move	move	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	advcl	_	_
19	back	back	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spat** | past | He |  |  |  |  | upon his hands | vn battle-36.4 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **swing** | participle | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with great force | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 3 | **yell** *speech: express* | participle |  |  |  |  | then | at the ladies | vn animal\_sounds-38 «NP V PP.stimulus»: agent=Agent at lady=Stimulus |
| 4 | **move back** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He wiped his face and tried it again slowly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:585-pg2306-part21:e3:o2:1
# text = He wiped his face and tried it again slowly
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wiped	wipe	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	face	face	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	tried	try	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	again	again	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
9	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wipe** | past | He | his face |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.source»: agent=Agent face=Source |
| 2 | **try** | past | He *not said here* | face |  |  | again | slowly *property* | vn try-61.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He tied his harness tighter, shook his head, and promised to make the rock break at last

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:585-pg2306-part21:e3:o3:1
# text = He tied his harness tighter, shook his head, and promised to make the rock break at last
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	tied	tie	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	harness	harness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	tighter	tight	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	shook	shake	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	promised	promise	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	17	advcl	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
17	break	break	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	parataxis	_	_
18	at	at	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	last	last	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tie** | past | He | his harness |  |  |  | tight *property* | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent harness=Patient |
| 2 | **shake** | past | He *not said here* | his head |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent head=Patient |
| 3 | **promise** *speech: promise* | past | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn promise-37.13 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **make** | to-infinitive |  | the rock |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset rock=Product |
| 5 | **break** | present |  |  |  | last |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme at last=Location |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He spat upon his hands and swung with great force

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:585-pg2306-part21:e3:o4:1
# text = He spat upon his hands and swung with great force
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	spat	spat	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	swung	swing	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	conj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	force	force	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spat** | past | He |  |  |  |  | upon his hands | vn battle-36.4 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **swing** | participle | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with great force | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Su…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/585-pg2306-part21/e2/)
- next →: [Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Su…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/585-pg2306-part21/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit, Rabbit Succeeded in Raising a Dust: Fox is tied up and beaten, Rabbit wins a wife](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/585-pg2306-part21/)