---
title: With reference to the passage, describe the advice which the invisib… — Andersen's Tales, The Old Grave-Stone,… · tree and pragmatics
description: With reference to the passage, describe the advice which the invisible spirit gave to the youngest boy regarding the seed. Exam question 4 of lesson 920 «Andersen's Tales, The Old Grave-Stone, part 131: the old grave-stone is remembered, and a new tale begins with an old house and a leaking dragon g
---

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# Exam question 4 · Andersen's Tales, The Old Grave-Stone, part 131: the old g…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
With reference to the passage, describe the advice which the invisible spirit gave to the youngest boy regarding the seed.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, invisible spirit · **What happens:** describe, give, regard · **To what, where:** advice, youngest boy

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 920 «Andersen's Tales, The Old Grave-Stone, part 131: the old grave-stone is remembered, and a new tale begins with an old house and a leaking dragon gutter» 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/920-pg27200-part131/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:920-pg27200-part131:e4:1
# text = With reference to the passage, describe the advice which the invisible spirit gave to the youngest boy regarding the seed.
1	With	with	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	reference	reference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
7	describe	describe	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	advice	advice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	obj	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	invisible	invisible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	spirit	spirit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
14	gave	give	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
15	to	to	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	youngest	young	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	18	amod	_	_
18	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
19	regarding	regard	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | imperative | you *not said here* | the advice |  |  |  | with reference to the passage | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent advice=Theme |
| 2 | **give** | past | the invisible spirit | the advice | the youngest boy regard the seed |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent which=Theme to boy=Recipient |
| 3 | **regard** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The spirit told him to water the seed every single day

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:920-pg27200-part131:e4:o1:1
# text = The spirit told him to water the seed every single day
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	spirit	spirit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	told	tell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	iobj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	ccomp	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
9	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	11	det	_	_
10	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | the spirit | the seed | him *= he* |  | day |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent he=Recipient seed=Topic |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The spirit bade him preserve the seed carefully and guard it well

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:920-pg27200-part131:e4:o2:1
# text = The spirit bade him preserve the seed carefully and guard it well
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	spirit	spirit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	bade	bade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
4	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
5	preserve	preserve	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	guard	guard	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	_
12	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	10	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **preserve** | present | him *= he* | the spirit bade |  |  |  | carefully *property* | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent seed=Beneficiary |
| 2 | **guard** | infinitive | him *= he* *not said here* | seed |  |  |  | well *property* | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Beneficiary |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The invisible voice commanded the boy to take the seed to the convent and bury it under the old grave-stone for ever

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:920-pg27200-part131:e4:o3:1
# text = The invisible voice commanded the boy to take the seed to the convent and bury it under the old grave-stone for ever
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	invisible	invisible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	voice	voice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	commanded	command	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	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	take	take	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	convent	convent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
15	bury	bury	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	_
16	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obj	_	_
17	under	under	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
19	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
20	grave	grave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	stone	stone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
23	for	for	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
24	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **command** | past | the invisible voice | the boy |  |  |  |  | vn supervision-95.2.2-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent boy=Theme |
| 2 | **take** | to-infinitive | the invisible voice *not said here* | the seed |  | the convent |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent seed=Theme to convent=Destination |
| 3 | **bury** | infinitive | the invisible voice *not said here* | seed |  | the old grave stone |  |  | vn put-9.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent it=Theme under stone=Destination |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The spirit urged him to carefully protect the seed from all harm and to sow it only when the time was right

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:920-pg27200-part131:e4:o4:1
# text = The spirit urged him to carefully protect the seed from all harm and to sow it only when the time was right
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	spirit	spirit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	urged	urge	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	iobj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
6	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	protect	protect	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	from	from	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	12	det	_	_
12	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	sow	sow	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	conj	_	_
16	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obj	_	_
17	only	only	ADV	RB	_	22	advmod	_	_
18	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	22	advmod	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	nsubj	_	_
21	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	22	cop	_	_
22	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **urge** | past | the spirit |  | him *= he* |  |  |  | vn urge-58.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Recipient |
| 2 | **protect** | to-infinitive | the spirit *not said here* | the seed |  |  |  | from all harm; carefully *property* | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent seed=Beneficiary from harm=Theme |
| 3 | **sow** | to-infinitive | the spirit *not said here* | seed |  |  |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 4 | **is** | past | the time |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |

<!-- 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: [Andersen's Tales, The Old Grave-Stone,…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/920-pg27200-part131/e3/)
- next →: [Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Old House:…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/921-pg27200-part132/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Andersen's Tales, The Old Grave-Stone, part 131: the old grave-stone is remembered, and a new tale begins with an old house and a leaking dragon gutter](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/920-pg27200-part131/)