---
title: Describe the means by which the narrator's toothache was eventually… — Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Describe the means by which the narrator's toothache was eventually resolved. Exam question 2 of lesson 595 «Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a galloping toothache, a talking box, and a stranger who mistakes him» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmati
---

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# Exam question 2 · Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a galloping toothache…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Describe the means by which the narrator's toothache was eventually resolved.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, the · **What happens:** describe, mean, resolve · **To what, where:** toothache · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 595 «Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a galloping toothache, a talking box, and a stranger who mistakes him» 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/595-pg2306-part31/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:595-pg2306-part31:e2:1
# text = Describe the means by which the narrator's toothache was eventually resolved.
1	Describe	describe	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	narrator	narrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	toothache	toothache	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
11	eventually	eventually	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	resolved	resolve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **resolve** | past · passive |  | the narrator's toothache |  |  |  | eventually *property* | 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 -->
Extraction of the tooth by a dentist using tongs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:595-pg2306-part31:e2:o1:1
# text = Extraction of the tooth by a dentist using tongs
1	Extraction	extraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	tooth	tooth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	dentist	dentist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	using	use	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	acl	_	_
9	tongs	tong	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | gerund | Extraction of the tooth by a dentist *not said here* | tongs |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tong=Patient |
| 2 | **extract** |  |  | the tooth by a dentist |  |  |  |  | nom extraction «process transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ointment dropped in the ear

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:595-pg2306-part31:e2:o2:1
# text = Ointment dropped in the ear
1	Ointment	ointment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	dropped	drop	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	ear	ear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drop** | past | Ointment |  |  | the ear |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme in ear=Trajectory |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Extraction by a dentist

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:595-pg2306-part31:e2:o3:1
# text = Extraction by a dentist
1	Extraction	extraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	dentist	dentist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **extract** |  | a dentist |  |  |  |  |  | nom extraction «process transitive»: by=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Removal of the tooth using a rusty pair of pliers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:595-pg2306-part31:e2:o4:1
# text = Removal of the tooth using a rusty pair of pliers
1	Removal	removal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	tooth	tooth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
5	using	use	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	rusty	rusty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	pliers	plier	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | gerund | Removal of the tooth | a rusty pair of pliers |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pair=Patient |
| 2 | **remove** |  |  | the tooth |  |  |  |  | nom removal «act transitive»: of=patient |

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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: [Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/595-pg2306-part31/e1/)
- next →: [Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/595-pg2306-part31/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Uncle Remus, The Toothache, part 31: a galloping toothache, a talking box, and a stranger who mistakes him](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/595-pg2306-part31/)