---
title: Why do the weasels laugh at «honest Toad»? — The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why do the weasels laugh at «honest Toad»? Test 7 · ★★★ of lesson 70 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 1: The Return of Ulysses (dressing for battle, the dark passage and «Good Toad, modest Toad»)» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the
---

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# Test 7 · ★★★ · The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 1: The Return o…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why do the weasels laugh at «honest Toad»?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** weasels · **What happens:** laugh

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 · ★★★ of lesson 70 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 1: The Return of Ulysses (dressing for battle, the dark passage and «Good Toad, modest Toad»)» of the books course of Mova's primary school. 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/70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night/#t7).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night:t7:1
# text = Why do the weasels laugh at «honest Toad»?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	weasels	weasel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	laugh	laugh	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	honest	honest	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	Toad	Toad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **laugh** | present · do-support | the weasels |  |  |  |  | at honest Toad | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: 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 -->
Because Toad had been caught cheating at cards and then boasting of it in public

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night:t7:o1:1
# text = Because Toad had been caught cheating at cards and then boasting of it in public
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	Toad	Toad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	caught	catch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	cheating	cheat	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	cards	card	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	11	advmod	_	_
11	boasting	boast	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	conj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obl	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **catch** | past · perfect · passive |  | Toad |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **cheat** | gerund |  |  |  | cards |  |  | vn cheat-10.6.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **boast** *speech: other* | gerund |  |  |  | public | then | of it | vn complain-37.8 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He had ruined the Hall's garden

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night:t7:o2:1
# text = He had ruined the Hall's garden
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	ruined	ruin	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Hall	Hall	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	garden	garden	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ruin** | past · perfect | He | the Hall's garden |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent garden=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because he was a noble lord and the weasels were jealous of his wealth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night:t7:o3:1
# text = Because he was a noble lord and the weasels were jealous of his wealth
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	noble	noble	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	lord	lord	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	weasels	weasel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
10	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
11	jealous	jealous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	conj	_	_
12	of	of	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	wealth	wealth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | he | a noble lord |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | past | the weasels |  |  |  |  | of his wealth; jealous *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Toad was jailed for stealing a car

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night:t7:o4:1
# text = Toad was jailed for stealing a car
1	Toad	Toad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	jailed	jail	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	stealing	steal	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **jail** | past · passive |  | Toad |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **steal** | gerund |  | a car |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location car=Theme |

<!-- 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.

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- ← previous: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII,…, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night/t6/)
- next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII,…, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night/t8/)
- ↑ back to [The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 1: The Return of Ulysses (dressing for battle, the dark passage and «Good Toad, modest Toad»)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/70-willows-ch12-part1-the-secret-passage-at-night/)