---
title: Identify the principal reason for which the woolly mammoth possessed… — Ice Age: real woolly mammoths · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which the woolly mammoth possessed ears and a tail of small dimensions. Exam question 2 of lesson 130 «Ice Age: real woolly mammoths» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's c
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths/e2/)

<!-- 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/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/) / [Ice Age: real woolly mammoths](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths/) / e2

# Exam question 2 · Ice Age: real woolly mammoths

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which the woolly mammoth possessed ears and a tail of small dimensions.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, possess · **To what, where:** principal reason, woolly mammoth

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 130 «Ice Age: real woolly mammoths» of the biology 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/biology/130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which the woolly mammoth possessed ears and a tail of small dimensions.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	11	det	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	woolly	woolly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	mammoth	mammoth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
10	possessed	possess	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	acl	_	_
11	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	dimensions	dimension	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	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 principal reason  which mammoth ears and a tail of small dimensions |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **possess** | participle |  | the woolly mammoth *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The extremities were habitually removed by predators

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths:e2:o1:1
# text = The extremities were habitually removed by predators
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	extremities	extremity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	habitually	habitually	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	removed	remove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | past · passive | predators | the extremities |  |  |  | habitually *property* | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Small extremities permitted superior hearing of approaching wolves in deep snow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths:e2:o2:1
# text = Small extremities permitted superior hearing of approaching wolves in deep snow
1	Small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	extremities	extremity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	permitted	permit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
4	superior	superior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	hearing	hearing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	approaching	approach	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
8	wolves	wolf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	snow	snow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **permit** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Causer |
| 2 | **approach** | gerund | permitted superior hearing *not said here* | wolves |  | deep snow |  |  | vn confront-98 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wolf=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Small extremities were characteristic solely of juvenile animals

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths:e2:o3:1
# text = Small extremities were characteristic solely of juvenile animals
1	Small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	extremities	extremity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	characteristic	characteristic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	juvenile	juvenile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Small extremities |  |  |  |  | of juvenile animals; characteristic, solely *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Small extremities lose less heat and are less susceptible to freezing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths:e2:o4:1
# text = Small extremities lose less heat and are less susceptible to freezing
1	Small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	extremities	extremity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lose	lose	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	less	less	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	amod	_	_
5	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	less	less	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	9	advmod	_	_
9	susceptible	susceptible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
10	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	freezing	freezing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | present | Small extremities | less heat |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent heat=Eventuality |
| 2 | **is** | present | Small extremities *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to freezing; less, susceptible *property* | tree rules |

<!-- 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: [Ice Age: real woolly mammoths, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths/e1/)
- next →: [Ice Age: real woolly mammoths, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Ice Age: real woolly mammoths](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/130-ice-age-real-woolly-mammoths/)