---
title: Ascertain the moral conveyed by the fable in which a fox, unable to… — Reading a story: characters, plot and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the moral conveyed by the fable in which a fox, unable to reach certain grapes, declares them to be sour. Exam question 3 of lesson 22 «Reading a story: characters, plot and setting» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and
---

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# Exam question 3 · Reading a story: characters, plot and setting

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the moral conveyed by the fable in which a fox, unable to reach certain grapes, declares them to be sour.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, convey, reach, declare, be · **To what, where:** moral, certain grapes, grapes

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 22 «Reading a story: characters, plot and setting» of the English 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/english/22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the moral conveyed by the fable in which a fox, unable to reach certain grapes, declares them to be sour.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	moral	moral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	fable	fable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
13	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	reach	reach	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	xcomp	_	_
16	certain	certain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	grapes	grape	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
19	declares	declare	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
20	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	19	obj	_	_
21	to	to	PART	TO	_	23	mark	_	_
22	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	23	cop	_	_
23	sour	sour	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	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 moral |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent moral=Topic |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the moral *not said here* |  |  |  | by the fable and a fox | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **reach** | to-infinitive |  | certain grapes |  |  |  |  | vn body\_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent grape=Theme |
| 4 | **declare** *speech: other* | present |  | grapes *= grape* |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Attribute |
| 5 | **is** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | sour *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
That persons may disparage what they are unable to obtain

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting:e3:o1:1
# text = That persons may disparage what they are unable to obtain
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	disparage	disparage	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	nsubj	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	ccomp	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	obtain	obtain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **disparage** | may | that persons |  |  |  |  |  | vn reject-77.2-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **obtain** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That foxes are unable to climb

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting:e3:o2:1
# text = That foxes are unable to climb
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	foxes	fox	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	climb	climb	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | that foxes |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **climb** | to-infinitive | that foxes *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That grapes are injurious to foxes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting:e3:o3:1
# text = That grapes are injurious to foxes
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	grapes	grape	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	injurious	injurious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	foxes	fox	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | that grapes |  |  |  |  | to foxes; injurious *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That one ought always to consume fruit at every available opportunity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting:e3:o4:1
# text = That one ought always to consume fruit at every available opportunity
1	That	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nsubj	_	_
3	ought	ought	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	6	advmod	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	consume	consume	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	fruit	fruit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	11	det	_	_
10	available	available	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	opportunity	opportunity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | ought | that one | fruit |  | every available opportunity |  | always *property* | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fruit=Asset |

<!-- 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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