---
title: Identify the explanation furnished by Taffy in respect of the «bad p… — Just So Stories, How the First Letter… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the explanation furnished by Taffy in respect of the «bad people» depicted upon the birch-bark. Exam question 1 of lesson 86 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 3: «a great invention» and the road on Merrow Down» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the de
---

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# Exam question 1 · Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 3:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the explanation furnished by Taffy in respect of the «bad people» depicted upon the birch-bark.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, furnish, depict, respect · **To what, where:** explanation, respect, bad people

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 86 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 3: «a great invention» and the road on Merrow Down» 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/86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention:e1:1
# text = Identify the explanation furnished by Taffy in respect of the «bad people» depicted upon the birch-bark.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	explanation	explanation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	furnished	furnish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Taffy	Taffy	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
15	depicted	depict	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	13	acl	_	_
16	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
18	birch	birch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	bark	bark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	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 explanation |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent explanation=Theme |
| 2 | **furnish** | participle |  | the explanation *not said here* |  | respect of the bad people |  | by Taffy | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **depict** | participle |  | the bad people *not said here* |  |  |  | upon the birch bark | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **respect** |  |  | the bad people |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That they were Neolithic ladies

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention:e1:o1:1
# text = That they were Neolithic ladies
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	nsubj	_	_
2	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	Neolithic	neolithic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	ladies	lady	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | That | Neolithic ladies |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That they were beavers, drawn to indicate the way through the swamp

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention:e1:o2:1
# text = That they were beavers, drawn to indicate the way through the swamp
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	beavers	beaver	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	drawn	draw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	indicate	indicate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	through	through	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	swamp	swamp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | That | beavers |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **draw** | participle |  | beavers *not said here* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **indicate** | to-infinitive |  | the way |  | the swamp |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot way=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That they were enemies of the Tribe

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention:e1:o3:1
# text = That they were enemies of the Tribe
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	enemies	enemy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	Tribe	Tribe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | That | enemies |  |  |  | of the Tribe | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That they were the soldiers of the Head Chief, advancing in Platoons and Detachments

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention:e1:o4:1
# text = That they were the soldiers of the Head Chief, advancing in Platoons and Detachments
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	nsubj	_	_
2	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	soldiers	soldier	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	Head	Head	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	Chief	Chief	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	advancing	advance	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	Platoons	platoon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
15	Detachments	detachment	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | That | the soldiers |  |  |  | of the Head Chief | tree rules |
| 2 | **advance** | gerund | the soldiers *not said here* |  |  | Platoons and Detachments |  |  | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |

<!-- 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: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, test 17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention/t17/)
- next →: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 3: «a great invention» and the road on Merrow Down](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/86-justso-first-letter-3-a-great-invention/)