---
title: Identify the reason given by the servant who concealed his talent in… — Parables: the Talents, the Sower and m… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the reason given by the servant who concealed his talent in the earth. Exam question 1 of lesson 15 «Parables: the Talents, the Sower and more» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice w
---

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# Exam question 1 · Parables: the Talents, the Sower and more

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the reason given by the servant who concealed his talent in the earth.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, servant · **What happens:** identify, give, conceal · **To what, where:** reason, talent, earth

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 15 «Parables: the Talents, the Sower and more» of the religion ethics 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/religion-ethics/15-parables-talents-sower-and-more/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:15-parables-talents-sower-and-more:e1:1
# text = Identify the reason given by the servant who concealed his talent in the earth.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	given	give	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	servant	servant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	concealed	conceal	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	talent	talent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	earth	earth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **give** | participle |  | the reason *not said here* |  |  |  | by the servant | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **conceal** | past | the servant | his talent |  | the earth |  |  | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent talent=Patient in earth=Location |

<!-- .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 he wished to plant it for increase

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:15-parables-talents-sower-and-more:e1:o1:1
# text = That he wished to plant it for increase
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	nsubj	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wished	wish	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	plant	plant	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	increase	increase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wish** | past | That |  |  |  |  |  | vn wish-62 «NP V for NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **plant** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | That *not said here* | it |  |  |  | for increase | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That he had forgotten its whereabouts

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:15-parables-talents-sower-and-more:e1:o2:1
# text = That he had forgotten its whereabouts
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
3	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	forgotten	forget	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	whereabouts	whereabouts	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forget** | past · perfect · passive |  | That |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That he intended it for the poor

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:15-parables-talents-sower-and-more:e1:o3:1
# text = That he intended it for the poor
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	nsubj	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	intended	intend	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	poor	poor	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **intend** | past | That | it |  |  |  | for the poor | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That he was afraid of his master

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:15-parables-talents-sower-and-more:e1:o4:1
# text = That he was afraid of his master
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	afraid	afraid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	master	master	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | That |  |  |  |  | of his master; afraid *property* | tree rules |

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**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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