---
title: Which mechanical fault rendered the bird unable to perform, and what… — Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Nightingal… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which mechanical fault rendered the bird unable to perform, and what did the watchmaker state regarding its repair? Exam question 2 of lesson 913 «Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Nightingale: the clockwork bird breaks, and the real nightingale saves the dying emperor» of the books course of Mova's prima
---

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# Exam question 2 · Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Nightingale: the clockwork bir…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which mechanical fault rendered the bird unable to perform, and what did the watchmaker state regarding its repair?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** mechanical fault, fault · **What happens:** fault, render, perform, do, regard, repair · **To what, where:** bird, watchmaker state

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 913 «Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Nightingale: the clockwork bird breaks, and the real nightingale saves the dying emperor» 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/913-pg27200-part124/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:913-pg27200-part124:e2:1
# text = Which mechanical fault rendered the bird unable to perform, and what did the watchmaker state regarding its repair?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
2	mechanical	mechanical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	fault	fault	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	rendered	render	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	perform	perform	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
12	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	13	nsubj	_	_
13	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	watchmaker	watchmaker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	state	state	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	_
17	regarding	regard	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	19	case	_	_
18	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	19	nmod:poss	_	_
19	repair	repair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fault** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **render** | past | mechanical fault | the bird |  |  |  | unable *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bird=Theme |
| 3 | **perform** | to-infinitive | mechanical fault *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn performance-26.7 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **do** | past |  | the watchmaker state |  |  |  | regard fault's repair | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent state=Eventuality |
| 5 | **regard** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 6 | **repair** |  | fault |  |  |  |  |  | nom repair «act transitive»: poss=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cracked spring; the barrels were worn, so it could play only once a year

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:913-pg27200-part124:e2:o1:1
# text = A cracked spring; the barrels were worn, so it could play only once a year
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	cracked	crack	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	spring	spring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	3	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	barrels	barrel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	worn	wear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
12	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
13	play	play	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	_
14	only	only	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	13	advmod	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **crack** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **wear** | past · passive |  | the barrels |  |  | spring |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.theme»: subject=Theme |
| 3 | **play** | could | it |  |  |  |  | once *property* | vn performance-26.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A snapped wire; the pins were dull, so it sang one time a year

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:913-pg27200-part124:e2:o2:1
# text = A snapped wire; the pins were dull, so it sang one time a year
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	snapped	snap	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	wire	wire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	pins	pin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	dull	dull	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	sang	sing	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	conj	_	_
13	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	14	nummod	_	_
14	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **snap** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | past | a snapped wire |  |  |  |  | dull *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **sing** *speech: express* | past | wire |  |  |  | time; year |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cracked spring

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:913-pg27200-part124:e2:o3:1
# text = A cracked spring
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	cracked	crack	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	spring	spring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **crack** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A bent gear; the cogs were rusted, so it could play rarely at all

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:913-pg27200-part124:e2:o4:1
# text = A bent gear; the cogs were rusted, so it could play rarely at all
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	bent	bent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	gear	gear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	3	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	cogs	cog	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	rusted	rust	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
12	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
13	play	play	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	_
14	rarely	rarely	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
15	at	at	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rust** | past · passive |  | a bent gear |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **play** | could | gear |  |  | all |  | rarely *property* | vn performance-26.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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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