---
title: Ascertain the reason for which Tegumai was unable to continue fishing. — Just So Stories, How the First Letter… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which Tegumai was unable to continue fishing. Exam question 2 of lesson 84 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1: a broken spear and a picture on birch-bark» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the que
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/e2/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/) / [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/) / e2

# Exam question 2 · Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which Tegumai was unable to continue fishing.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, Tegumai · **What happens:** ascertain, be, continue · **To what, where:** reason, fishing

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 84 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1: a broken spear and a picture on birch-bark» 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/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which Tegumai was unable to continue fishing.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
6	Tegumai	Tegumai	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	continue	continue	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	_
11	fishing	fishing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | past | Tegumai |  |  |  |  | for the reason; unable *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **continue** | to-infinitive | Tegumai *not said here* | fishing |  |  |  |  | vn sustain-55.6 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent fishing=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
His spear had been broken when Taffy pulled it from the river bottom and the carp swam away with the bait

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:e2:o1:1
# text = His spear had been broken when Taffy pulled it from the river bottom and the carp swam away with the bait
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	spear	spear	NOUN	NN	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	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
7	Taffy	Taffy	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	pulled	pull	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	_
10	from	from	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	bottom	bottom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	carp	carp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
17	swam	swim	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
18	away	away	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
19	with	with	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	bait	bait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | past · perfect · passive |  | His spear |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **pull** | past | Taffy | spear |  | the river bottom |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent it=Theme from bottom=Initial\_Location |
| 3 | **swim away** | past | the carp |  |  |  |  | with the bait; away *property* | vn swarm-47.5.1-1 «PP.location V PP.theme»: agent=Location with bait=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The swamp had swallowed his fishing line

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:e2:o2:1
# text = The swamp had swallowed his fishing line
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	swamp	swamp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	swallowed	swallow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	fishing	fishing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	line	line	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swallow** | past · perfect · passive |  | the swamp |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fish had escaped from his spear

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:e2:o3:1
# text = The fish had escaped from his spear
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	escaped	escape	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	spear	spear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **escape** | past · perfect · passive |  | the fish |  | fish's spear |  |  | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His spear had been broken by being jabbed upon the river bottom

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:e2:o4:1
# text = His spear had been broken by being jabbed upon the river bottom
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	spear	spear	NOUN	NN	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	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	jabbed	jab	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	xcomp	_	_
9	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	bottom	bottom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | past · perfect · passive |  | His spear |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **jab** | gerund · passive |  |  |  |  |  | upon the river bottom | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V PP» |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/e1/)
- next →: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1: a broken spear and a picture on birch-bark](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/)