---
title: Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Burdens: a clever donkey tries to ch… — how Mova does on the tests · Books
description: Lesson 137 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 4 of 13 tests right, exam 0 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Aesop's Fables, The Ass and His Burdens: a clever donkey tries to cheat his master with salt and sponges

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**Tests:** 4 of 13 right · **Exam:** 0 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 4 of 17 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 137 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/137-pg11339-part7/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · right ✓ {#t1}

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Yo, the donkey flopped in the river twice, right?

- **1.** Yeah, and the bloke twigged it — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Nope, once — no support
- **3.** Nah, the donkey fell once — no support
- **4.** Yeah, but the bloke missed it — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t2}

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Bruv, why'd the donkey keep lying down, innit?

- **1.** To wash its load clean — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** To have a rest — no support
- **3.** To make the load lighter — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** To cool off — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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Wicked, what did the bloke buy after he cottoned on?

- **1.** Lots of wool and cloth for the winter season — **← Mova's choice** · score -2
- **2.** Some more bags — score -2
- **3.** Bread and tea — score -2
- **4.** Loads more salt — **✓ the right answer** · score -2

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 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 118, line 6: «Who: Thumbling, the peasant's tiny son, who is "no longer than a thumb", and two strange men who want to buy him.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «buy» (+1); the same doer «two strange men» (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-4). The right option, 4, scored -2. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/137-pg11339-part7/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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Mate, wasn't the sponge plan proper clever?

- **1.** Yeah, it worked a treat — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Nah, it backfired big time — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Yeah, it was brilliant because the bloke never noticed anything at all until the end — no support
- **4.** Nah, it was quite dumb — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t5}

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No cap, did the donkey win in the end?

- **1.** Yeah, it got a lighter load — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Nope, it got a heavier load — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Nope, the bloke caught on and the donkey lost its load and walked home — no support
- **4.** Yeah, the donkey got away with it because the bloke was tired and gave up — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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Dead easy, how many times did the donkey fall in?

- **1.** Twice — no support
- **2.** Two times — **← Mova's choice** · score 0
- **3.** Three times — **✓ the right answer** · score 0
- **4.** Four times — score 0

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 0, tied with another option at 0 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 137, line 4: «explain: This time the Pedlar has bought sponges, which soak up the water, so the donkey staggers out with a heavier load than ever.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same doer «pedlar» (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-3). The right option, 3, scored 0. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/137-pg11339-part7/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · right ✓ {#t7}

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Bro, what's the big lesson from this one?

- **1.** Don't push your luck too far — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Trust your neighbours at market — no support
- **3.** Be kind to animals — no support
- **4.** Work hard each day — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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Like, was the first tumble an accident or what?

- **1.** Yeah — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** No, it did it on purpose — no support
- **3.** Yeah, it just stumbled — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Yeah, it slipped on rocks — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, 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/137-pg11339-part7/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · right ✓ {#t9}

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Proper quick question, what does a pannier look like?

- **1.** A bag on the donkey's back — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Two big bags hung over the donkey's back, one on each side — no support
- **3.** A long leather strap that goes under the donkey's tail and round its belly — no support
- **4.** A bundle on the road — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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Sus, why did the bloke turn round?

- **1.** He saw the donkey lie — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** He wanted to sell the donkey at the next town for more money — no support
- **3.** He heard a noise — no support
- **4.** He spotted the trick — **✓ the right answer** · 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/137-pg11339-part7/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · right ✓ {#t11}

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Lol, what happened to the salt in the water?

- **1.** It melted and drained away — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **2.** It stuck to the bags and dried into a hard white crust — no support
- **3.** It turned to sand — no support
- **4.** It was washed out of the bags and carried downstream by the current — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 137, line 2: «explain: The salt melts in the water, so the donkey's load gets much lighter, and he is pleased with himself.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «salt» (+4); the same action «melt» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/137-pg11339-part7/t11/)

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### Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t12}

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Honest question, what kind of animal is the donkey?

- **1.** A donkey — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** A hardy animal that carries heavy goods on its back — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** An animal that pulls carts for farmers in the valley — no support
- **4.** A camel — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 137, line 6: «fact: WHO: a Pedlar, a travelling seller, and his Ass, a donkey that carries his goods on its back.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same place «back» (+3); the same action «carry» (+1); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-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/137-pg11339-part7/t12/)

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### Test 13 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t13}

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Fam, so the bloke was just a normal shopper, yeah?

- **1.** Yes, he was just a customer — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** No, he was a travelling seller — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** No, he was a travelling seller who came to the village to sell salt and sponges — no support
- **4.** Yes, he was a regular shopper who bought goods from the same shop every week in town — 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/137-pg11339-part7/t13/)

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

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State the occupation of the owner of the Ass, as described in the passage.

- **1.** A Pedlar, a seller of goods who lived in the town and rode a donkey to market each day — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** A Pedlar, a travelling seller of goods who walked from village to village with a donkey — no support
- **3.** A Pedlar, a travelling buyer of goods — no support
- **4.** A Pedlar, a travelling seller of goods — **✓ the right answer** · 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/137-pg11339-part7/e1/)

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

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Identify the quantity of the second purchase made by the owner after the first mishap.

- **1.** More sponges, added to the load — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Sponges, placed in the old panniers — no support
- **3.** More salt, added to the remaining load — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** More salt — 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/137-pg11339-part7/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e3}

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Specify the number of occasions upon which the Ass deliberately lay down in the stream.

- **1.** Two, on the second and third trips — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Two occasions, on the second and third journeys — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Three occasions, once on each of the three journeys to market and back again — no support
- **4.** Two occasions, on the second and third journeys, when the donkey was tired — 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/137-pg11339-part7/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4}

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Articulate the principle conveyed by the closing maxim of the narrative.

- **1.** Cheating can work once but fails later — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Cheating may succeed once, but a person who keeps cheating will always be caught and punished by others — no support
- **3.** Cheating may succeed once, but it is later punished — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Tricks are punished in the end — 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/137-pg11339-part7/e4/)

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