---
title: Gods and Fighting Men, Mongan's Frenzy, part 39: Mongan trades cows… — how Mova does on the tests · Books
description: Lesson 1071 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 4 of 12 tests right, exam 2 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Gods and Fighting Men, Mongan's Frenzy, part 39: Mongan trades cows for Duv Laca

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**Tests:** 4 of 12 right · **Exam:** 2 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 14 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 1071 of the books course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose.

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Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · right ✓ {#t1}

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Mate, so Mongan just handed over fifty cows for a girl?

- **1.** Yep, fifty cows, mate — no support
- **2.** Yep, cows and calves for Duv Laca, deal's a deal — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **3.** Yeah, bargain done — no support
- **4.** Nah, he kept his cows and sent her off with a shrug — score 3

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1069, line 8: «fact: What does Fiachna offer? "Twenty cows", but she screams "I would not take all the cows in Ulster".», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «take» (+3); the same doer «twenty cows» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · right ✓ {#t2}

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Was Mongan proper gutted when the king came visiting?

- **1.** Nah, he was buzzing, like proper happy — no support
- **2.** Yeah, he was gutted, like proper sad — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 3
- **3.** Yeah, dead chuffed — no support
- **4.** Nah, he was chuffed to bits, he had his cows back and a grin on his face all day — score 3

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1071, line 10: «Why: Mongan keeps his word because "the man that makes a bargain keeps a bargain," even though it breaks his heart.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «mongan» (+1); the same thing acted on «word» (+1); a different action (counts against) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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Was the king mad keen on her, like, properly?

- **1.** Nah, he hated the sight of her, like — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Nah, he couldn't stand her, he just wanted the cows and the horses too, honest — no support
- **3.** Aye, he was mad about her, dead keen — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Aye, he was mad about her, dead keen, and he'd have fought the whole of Ulster for her — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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Did Mongan's face go red like a bleedin' sunset?

- **1.** Nah, pale as snow — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Yeah, red as a sunset, proper raging — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Yeah, red as a sunset, proper raging, and his ears went even redder after that — no support
- **4.** Nah, his face stayed normal, he just laughed it off and poured another cup of wine — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t5}

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Yo, what's the boon she put on the king?

- **1.** He can't sit in her chair, innit — **✓ the right answer** · score 0
- **2.** Nah, just cows — no support
- **3.** He gotta give her a horse, innit — **← Mova's choice** · score 2
- **4.** He can't sit, innit — score 2

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 2, tied with another option at 2 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1052, line 2: «The king is too annoyed to stop her, so he turns over to sleep, and Becfola leaves Tara with only one maid.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «turn over» (+1); the same doer «king» (+1). The right option, 1, scored 0. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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Was Mongan's sickness proper bad at the end?

- **1.** Yeah, he wasted away like a skeleton — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Nah, he was fine in the end, he recovered and feasted with his lads — **← Mova's choice** · score 2
- **3.** Yeah, he got proper skinny, like — no support
- **4.** Nah, he got fat and happy, mate — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 733, line 5: «His wife Ilsabill keeps sending him back to the fish for something better, from a cottage to a stone castle, and at the end she wants to be king.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «wife» (+1); the same place «end» (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t7}

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Did the feast and the banquet go on all night, like?

- **1.** Yeah, feast then banquet, all through the night and into the morning, proper epic — no support
- **2.** Nah, they had a feast, then a banquet, then a fight, then went back to bed early — **← Mova's choice** · score 5
- **3.** Yeah, dinner then dancing, till dawn — no support
- **4.** Yeah, feast then banquet, all through — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 631, line 19: «Old word "picketed": it means tied to a line or stake for the night, and today "picket" can also mean a group standing outside to protest.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same doer «word» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · right ✓ {#t8}

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Mate, did Duv Laca say honour beats life?

- **1.** Nah, life beats honour every time — no support
- **2.** Yeah, honour's grand — no support
- **3.** Yeah, honour's worth more than gold — no support
- **4.** Yeah, honour is longer than life — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 11

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 11, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1071, line 11: «Duv Laca says "honour is longer than life," so she pushes Mongan to let the king take her, and he is angry at her words.», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same doer «honour» (+3); the same property (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

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Was the king's eye like, massive?

- **1.** Yeah, big as a cup, proper — no support
- **2.** Yeah, big as a plate, mental, bulging right out of his head like a boiled egg — no support
- **3.** Yeah, big as a plate, mental — **✓ the right answer** · score 3
- **4.** Nah, his eye was tiny, like a pin, and he squinted all through the feast — **← Mova's choice** · score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1043, line 21: «Old word: the "Tooth of Knowledge" is Fionn's wisdom tooth, which he touches with his thumb to see hidden things.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same doer «old word» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 3. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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Was Mongan's wine drinking proper wild?

- **1.** Nah, he drank almost nothing, he was too busy watching the king and counting cows — **← Mova's choice** · score 3
- **2.** Yeah, he drank loads and laughed loud — **✓ the right answer** · score 3
- **3.** Yeah, he drank loads and laughed loud, and then he fell right off his stool into the rushes — score 3
- **4.** Nah, he sipped it slow and sat quiet — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1068, line 11: «Why: Mongan drinks more wine than anyone has seen because he is "in this condition of glee and expansion".», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «drink» (+3); the same doer «mongan» (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 2, scored 3. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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Did Mongan march the cows home to Ulster?

- **1.** Nah, he sold the cows at the fair in Dublin and kept the silver for himself — score 3
- **2.** Yeah, straight back home to Ulster — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Yeah, straight back home to Ulster, driving the whole herd over the hills at a gallop — no support
- **4.** Nah, he kept them in Leinster, mate — **← Mova's choice** · score 5

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 5, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1071, line 10: «Why: Mongan keeps his word because "the man that makes a bargain keeps a bargain," even though it breaks his heart.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «keep» (+3); the same doer «mongan» (+2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t11/)

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### Test 12 · ★ · right ✓ {#t12}

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Did the king swear the boon, like, proper?

- **1.** Yeah, he passed his word and pledged it on his sword and his horse, proper solemn — score 5
- **2.** Yeah, he passed his word and pledged it — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5
- **3.** Nah, he never swore anything, he just nodded and then broke the promise the very next morning — score 5
- **4.** Yeah, he gave a grin and a shrug — score 4

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1020, line 6: «Who: a prince who swears "I will conquer God!" and wants his "will" done.», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «god» (+4); the same doer «proud prince» (+3). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/t12/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1}

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Which of the following is the price Mongan accepts from the King of Leinster for Duv Laca?

- **1.** a silver chariot with twelve red-eared white cows and calves from the king's herd — no support
- **2.** twenty brown horses and foals — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** fifty red-eared white cows and calves, with a golden torc — no support
- **4.** fifty red-eared white cows and calves — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1010, line 14: «Old word: "crape" was black cloth worn to show mourning, and the cake-women took it off the sugar-sticks.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «take» (+2); a different doer (counts against) (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2}

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Which phrase best describes the manner in which Mongan speaks when he welcomes the King of Leinster?

- **1.** in a bright and cheerful tone — no support
- **2.** in a melancholy and lamentable voice — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** with a fierce and angry shout — score 1
- **4.** in a loud and angry voice, as if he were ready to fight the king at once — **← Mova's choice** · score 3

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 3, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1071, line 17: «Old word: "lamentably" means in a sad, mourning way, which is how Mongan speaks when he welcomes the king.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «king» (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+1); a different action (counts against) (+1). Against it: the same doer «word» (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3}

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What condition does Duv Laca impose upon the King of Leinster before she leaves with him?

- **1.** He shall not sit in her seat by the fire. — no support
- **2.** He shall not sit down. — no support
- **3.** He shall not sit in the chair she occupies. — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 0
- **4.** He shall not leave the hall before dawn. — score -2

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 0, against -2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1071, line 15: «The king must not sit in the chair she is in, but sit "over against me and opposite to me" instead, which is her boon.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «duv» (+1). Against it: the same thing acted on «chair» (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓ {#e4}

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Which figure of speech describes Mongan's face when Duv Laca defies him?

- **1.** a face as red as a sunset — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **2.** a face like a red rose — score 6
- **3.** a face as red as a sunset sky, with a tongue sharp as a sword — score 6
- **4.** a face as pale as the moon — score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 235, line 4: «The mayor refuses to pay, so the piper plays a merry tune that draws every child out of the town.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «draw» (+2); the same thing acted on «child» (+2); a different doer (counts against) (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1071-pg2892-part39/e4/)

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