---
title: In what manner did the soldiers attempt to bring about the downfall… — Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, par… · tree and pragmatics
description: In what manner did the soldiers attempt to bring about the downfall of the prince on the second occasion described in the passage? Exam question 2 of lesson 694 «Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, part 34: the prince frees a prisoner, meets three grateful creatures, and is set a grain-sorting task» 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, part 34: the prince fre…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In what manner did the soldiers attempt to bring about the downfall of the prince on the second occasion described in the passage?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** soldiers · **What happens:** do, attempt, bring, describe · **To what, where:** manner, second occasion, passage

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 694 «Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, part 34: the prince frees a prisoner, meets three grateful creatures, and is set a grain-sorting task» 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/694-pg2435-part34/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:694-pg2435-part34:e2:1
# text = In what manner did the soldiers attempt to bring about the downfall of the prince on the second occasion described in the passage?
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	what	what	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	3	det	_	_
3	manner	manner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
4	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	soldiers	soldier	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	attempt	attempt	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	bring	bring	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	about	about	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	downfall	downfall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	prince	prince	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
16	on	on	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	second	second	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	19	amod	_	_
19	occasion	occasion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
20	described	describe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	19	acl	_	_
21	in	in	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
23	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | past |  |  |  | what manner |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **attempt** | present | the soldiers |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **bring** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the soldiers *not said here* |  |  | the second occasion |  | about the downfall of the prince | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent on occasion=Destination |
| 4 | **describe** | participle |  | the second occasion *not said here* |  | the passage |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They asked the king to try him by dropping a ring into a nearby brook

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:694-pg2435-part34:e2:o1:1
# text = They asked the king to try him by dropping a ring into a nearby brook
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	try	try	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
7	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	dropping	drop	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	into	into	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	nearby	nearby	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	brook	brook	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | They |  | the king |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP whether S\_INF»: agent=Agent king=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **try** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | They *not said here* | king |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Eventuality |
| 3 | **drop** | gerund | They *not said here* | a ring |  | a nearby brook |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent ring=Theme into brook=Destination |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They lied about the grain

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:694-pg2435-part34:e2:o2:1
# text = They lied about the grain
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	lied	lie	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	about	about	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	grain	grain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lie** | past | They |  |  |  |  | about the grain | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent about grain=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They suggested a ring test in a brook

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:694-pg2435-part34:e2:o3:1
# text = They suggested a ring test in a brook
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	suggested	suggest	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	brook	brook	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **suggest** *speech: suggest* | past | They | a ring test |  | a brook |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent test=Topic |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They proposed that the king test him by having a ring thrown into a brook

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:694-pg2435-part34:e2:o4:1
# text = They proposed that the king test him by having a ring thrown into a brook
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	proposed	propose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	test	test	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	_
7	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	having	have	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	thrown	throw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	xcomp	_	_
13	into	into	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	brook	brook	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **propose** | past | They |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **test** | infinitive | the king | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Theme |
| 3 | **have** | gerund | the king *not said here* | a ring |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **throw** | participle | a ring *not said here* |  |  |  |  | into a brook *result* | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.result»: agent=Causer into brook=Result |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ← previous: [Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, par…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/694-pg2435-part34/e1/)
- next →: [Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, par…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/694-pg2435-part34/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Fairy Tales, The Gold-Bearded Man, part 34: the prince frees a prisoner, meets three grateful creatures, and is set a grain-sorting task](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/694-pg2435-part34/)