---
title: Which statement accurately describes how the youth came into possess… — German Popular Stories, The Cottager A… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which statement accurately describes how the youth came into possession of the cat? Exam question 1 of lesson 689 «German Popular Stories, The Cottager And His Cat, part 1: a miser's son obeys a strange dream and buys a cat» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and 
---

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# Exam question 1 · German Popular Stories, The Cottager And His Cat, part 1:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which statement accurately describes how the youth came into possession of the cat?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** statement, youth · **What happens:** describe, come, possess · **To what, where:** possession, cat

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 689 «German Popular Stories, The Cottager And His Cat, part 1: a miser's son obeys a strange dream and buys a cat» 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/689-pg2435-part29/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:689-pg2435-part29:e1:1
# text = Which statement accurately describes how the youth came into possession of the cat?
1	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	youth	youth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
9	into	into	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	possession	possession	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present | which statement |  |  |  |  | accurately *property* | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V what S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **come** | past | the youth |  |  | possession of the cat |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme into possession=Initial\_Location |
| 3 | **possess** |  |  | the cat |  |  |  |  | nom possession «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 -->
He purchased it for six shillings from the forest household after being offered it by the old woman, who had kept it for years

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:689-pg2435-part29:e1:o1:1
# text = He purchased it for six shillings from the forest household after being offered it by the old woman, who had kept it for years
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	purchased	purchase	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	shillings	shilling	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	forest	forest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
11	after	after	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
12	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	offered	offer	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	_
15	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	22	punct	_	_
20	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	22	nsubj:pass	_	_
21	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	22	aux	_	_
22	kept	keep	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	18	acl:relcl	_	_
23	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	22	obj	_	_
24	for	for	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
25	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	22	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **purchase** | past | He | it |  | the forest household |  | for six shillings | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent it=Theme for shilling=Asset |
| 2 | **offer** | gerund · passive | the old woman | household |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 3 | **keep** | past · perfect · passive |  | the old woman |  |  | year |  | vn sustain-55.6-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Theme it=Attribute |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was given it as a gift by the old woman of the hut

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:689-pg2435-part29:e1:o2:1
# text = He was given it as a gift by the old woman of the hut
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	gift	gift	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	hut	hut	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | past · passive | the old woman of the hut | He |  |  |  | as a gift | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent subject=Recipient it=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He paid six shillings to a neighbouring farmer's wife in town

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:689-pg2435-part29:e1:o3:1
# text = He paid six shillings to a neighbouring farmer's wife in town
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	paid	pay	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	shillings	shilling	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	neighbouring	neighbour	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	amod	_	_
8	farmer	farmer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	's	's	PART	POS	_	8	case	_	_
10	wife	wife	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pay** | past | He | six shillings |  |  |  | to a neighbouring farmer's wife in town | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shilling=Asset |
| 2 | **neighbour** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He purchased it for six shillings from the forest household

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:689-pg2435-part29:e1:o4:1
# text = He purchased it for six shillings from the forest household
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	purchased	purchase	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	shillings	shilling	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	forest	forest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **purchase** | past | He | it |  | the forest household |  | for six shillings | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent it=Theme for shilling=Asset |

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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: [German Popular Stories, The Cottager A…, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/689-pg2435-part29/t12/)
- next →: [German Popular Stories, The Cottager A…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/689-pg2435-part29/e2/)
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