---
title: Identify the figure of speech employed when the narrator states that… — Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an av… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the figure of speech employed when the narrator states that secrets are "like sand in a sieve." Exam question 2 of lesson 855 «Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an avalanche kills the uncle, and Rudy becomes the family's hunter and guide» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with th
---

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# Exam question 2 · Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an avalanche kills the un…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the figure of speech employed when the narrator states that secrets are "like sand in a sieve."

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, narrator states · **What happens:** identify, employ, be, figure · **To what, where:** figure, speech, sand, sieve

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 855 «Andersen's Tales, Rudy, part 66: an avalanche kills the uncle, and Rudy becomes the family's hunter and guide» 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/855-pg27200-part66/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e2:1
# text = Identify the figure of speech employed when the narrator states that secrets are "like sand in a sieve."
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	figure	figure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	16	advmod	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	narrator	narrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	states	state	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	16	nsubj	_	_
11	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	det	_	_
12	secrets	secret	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	conj	_	_
13	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
14	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	like	like	INTJ	UH	_	16	discourse	_	_
16	sand	sand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
17	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	sieve	sieve	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the figure of speech |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent figure=Theme |
| 2 | **employ** | participle |  | speech *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | the narrator states and that secrets | sand |  | a sieve |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **figure** |  |  | speech |  |  |  |  | nom figure «communication 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 -->
A metaphor for trust lost

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e2:o1:1
# text = A metaphor for trust lost
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	metaphor	metaphor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	trust	trust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	lost	lose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | participle |  | a metaphor for trust *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A simile comparing secrets to sand that slips through

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e2:o2:1
# text = A simile comparing secrets to sand that slips through
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	simile	simile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	comparing	compare	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	secrets	secret	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	sand	sand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	slips	slip	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	through	through	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **compare** | gerund | a simile *not said here* | secrets |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **slip through** | present | sand |  |  |  |  | through *property* | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A metaphor equating secrets with slipping grains

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e2:o3:1
# text = A metaphor equating secrets with slipping grains
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	metaphor	metaphor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	equating	equate	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	secrets	secret	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	slipping	slip	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	amod	_	_
7	grains	grain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **equate** | gerund | a metaphor *not said here* | secrets |  |  |  | with slipping grains | tree rules |
| 2 | **slip** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A simile linking secrets to water flowing away

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:855-pg27200-part66:e2:o4:1
# text = A simile linking secrets to water flowing away
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	simile	simile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	linking	link	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	amod	_	_
4	secrets	secret	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
7	flowing	flow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
8	away	away	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **link** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **flow away** | gerund | a simile and linking secrets and water *not said here* |  |  |  |  | away *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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.

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