---
title: Identify the device by which Lewis Carroll represents Alice, weeping… — Off with her head and the finest house… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the device by which Lewis Carroll represents Alice, weeping, as producing «a large pool all round her». Exam question 1 of lesson 54 «Off with her head and the finest house on the river: Alice and Toad» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/e1/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/) / [Off with her head and the finest house…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · Off with her head and the finest house on the river: Alice…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the device by which Lewis Carroll represents Alice, weeping, as producing «a large pool all round her».

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, Lewis Carroll · **What happens:** identify, represent, weep, produce · **To what, where:** device, Alice, large pool

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 54 «Off with her head and the finest house on the river: Alice and Toad» of the language 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/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad:e1:1
# text = Identify the device by which Lewis Carroll represents Alice, weeping, as producing «a large pool all round her».
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	device	device	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
6	Lewis	Lewis	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	flat	_	_
7	Carroll	Carroll	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	represents	represent	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
9	Alice	Alice	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	weeping	weep	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
14	producing	produce	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	11	conj	_	_
15	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	pool	pool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
19	all	all	ADV	RB	_	21	advmod	_	_
20	round	round	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
21	her	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	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 device |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent device=Theme |
| 2 | **represent** | present | Lewis Carroll | Alice |  |  |  | by the device | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot alice=Theme |
| 3 | **weep** | gerund | Lewis Carroll *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **produce** | gerund | Lewis Carroll *not said here* | a large pool |  |  |  | round Carroll | vn create-26.4 «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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A figure of speech rendered literally for comic effect

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad:e1:o1:1
# text = A figure of speech rendered literally for comic effect
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	figure	figure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	rendered	render	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	literally	literally	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	comic	comic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	effect	effect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | participle |  | a figure of speech *not said here* |  |  |  | for comic effect; literally *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **figure** |  |  | speech |  |  |  |  | nom figure «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A sarcastic remark of the White Rabbit

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad:e1:o2:1
# text = A sarcastic remark of the White Rabbit
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	sarcastic	sarcastic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	remark	remark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	White	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	Rabbit	Rabbit	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remark** |  |  | the White Rabbit |  |  |  |  | nom remark «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An understatement of Alice's distress

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad:e1:o3:1
# text = An understatement of Alice's distress
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	understatement	understatement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	Alice	Alice	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	distress	distress	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **understate** |  |  | Alice's distress |  |  |  |  | nom understatement «communication transitive»: of=patient |
| 2 | **distress** |  | Alice |  |  |  |  |  | nom distress «feeling transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A precise account of the volume of human tears

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad:e1:o4:1
# text = A precise account of the volume of human tears
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	precise	precise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	volume	volume	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	human	human	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	tears	tear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **account** |  |  | the volume of human tears |  |  |  |  | nom account «communication transitive»: of=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Off with her head and the finest house…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/t11/)
- next →: [Off with her head and the finest house…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Off with her head and the finest house on the river: Alice and Toad](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/)

