---
title: By what means did the willow-tree advise the buckwheat to protect it… — Andersen's Tales, The Buckwheat: a pro… · tree and pragmatics
description: By what means did the willow-tree advise the buckwheat to protect itself? Exam question 3 of lesson 807 «Andersen's Tales, The Buckwheat: a proud buckwheat defies the storm and is burnt black» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and o
---

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# Exam question 3 · Andersen's Tales, The Buckwheat: a proud buckwheat defies…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By what means did the willow-tree advise the buckwheat to protect itself?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** mean, do, protect · **To what, where:** tree advise, buckwheat · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 807 «Andersen's Tales, The Buckwheat: a proud buckwheat defies the storm and is burnt black» 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/807-pg27200-part18/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:807-pg27200-part18:e3:1
# text = By what means did the willow-tree advise the buckwheat to protect itself?
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
6	willow	willow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	tree	tree	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	advise	advice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	buckwheat	buckwheat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	protect	protect	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	acl	_	_
14	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **do** | past |  | the tree advise |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **protect** | to-infinitive |  | buckwheat |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent itself=Beneficiary |

<!-- .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 -->
By staring up at the bright sky above

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:807-pg27200-part18:e3:o1:1
# text = By staring up at the bright sky above
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	staring	stare	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	bright	bright	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	sky	sky	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	above	above	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stare up** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | at the bright sky; above *property* | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at sky=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By bending its head and closing its flowers, as the other plants in the field had done

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:807-pg27200-part18:e3:o2:1
# text = By bending its head and closing its flowers, as the other plants in the field had done
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	bending	bend	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	closing	close	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	conj	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	flowers	flower	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	as	as	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	field	field	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
17	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	18	aux	_	_
18	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	13	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bend** | gerund |  | its head |  |  |  | as the other plants | vn knead-26.5 «NP V NP.material»: agent=Agent head=Material |
| 2 | **close** | gerund |  | head's flowers |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent flower=Patient |
| 3 | **do** | past · perfect |  | the other plants *not said here* |  | the field |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By bending its head and closing its flowers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:807-pg27200-part18:e3:o3:1
# text = By bending its head and closing its flowers
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	bending	bend	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	closing	close	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	conj	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	flowers	flower	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bend** | gerund |  | its head |  |  |  |  | vn knead-26.5 «NP V NP.material»: agent=Agent head=Material |
| 2 | **close** | gerund |  | head's flowers |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent flower=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By calling loudly to the storm angel

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:807-pg27200-part18:e3:o4:1
# text = By calling loudly to the storm angel
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	calling	call	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	loudly	loudly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	storm	storm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	angel	angel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | gerund |  |  | the storm angel |  |  | loudly *property* | vn animal\_sounds-38 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent to angel=Recipient |

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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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