---
title: Identify the principal reason for which elephants avoid the swarming… — Myth check: are elephants scared of mi… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which elephants avoid the swarming of bees. Exam question 2 of lesson 149 «Myth check: are elephants scared of mice?» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Exam question 2 · Myth check: are elephants scared of mice?

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which elephants avoid the swarming of bees.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, elephants · **What happens:** identify, avoid · **To what, where:** principal reason, swarming

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 149 «Myth check: are elephants scared of mice?» 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/149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which elephants avoid the swarming of bees.
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	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
7	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	avoid	avoid	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	swarming	swarming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	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 |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **avoid** | present | elephants | the swarming of bees |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn avoid-52 «NP V NP.location»: agent=Agent swarming=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bees are able to sting the soft skin within the trunk and about the eyes

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e2:o1:1
# text = Bees are able to sting the soft skin within the trunk and about the eyes
1	Bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	able	able	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	sting	sting	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	within	within	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	trunk	trunk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	about	about	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Bees |  |  |  |  | able *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **sting** | to-infinitive | Bees *not said here* | the soft skin |  |  |  | within the trunk and the eyes | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus skin=Experiencer |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bees consume the vegetation upon which elephants feed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e2:o2:1
# text = Bees consume the vegetation upon which elephants feed
1	Bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	consume	consume	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	vegetation	vegetation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
7	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	feed	feed	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | present | Bees | the vegetation |  |  |  |  | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vegetation=Asset |
| 2 | **feed** | present | elephants |  |  |  |  | upon the vegetation | vn gorge-39.6 «NP V PP.patient»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bees are able to penetrate the thick skin upon any part of the elephant's body

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e2:o3:1
# text = Bees are able to penetrate the thick skin upon any part of the elephant's body
1	Bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	able	able	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	penetrate	penetrate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	11	det	_	_
11	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	elephant	elephant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	's	's	PART	POS	_	14	case	_	_
16	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Bees |  |  |  |  | able *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **penetrate** | to-infinitive | Bees *not said here* | the thick skin |  |  |  | upon any part of the elephant's body | vn poke-19 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent skin=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bees convey mice upon their bodies

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e2:o4:1
# text = Bees convey mice upon their bodies
1	Bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	convey	convey	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	bodies	body	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **convey** | present | Bees | mice |  |  |  | upon Bees's bodies | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent mouse=Topic |

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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.

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