---
title: Ascertain the means by which certain acacia trees are protected agai… — Myth check: are elephants scared of mi… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the means by which certain acacia trees are protected against browsing elephants. Exam question 4 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 cho
---

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# Exam question 4 · Myth check: are elephants scared of mice?

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the means by which certain acacia trees are protected against browsing elephants.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, the · **What happens:** ascertain, mean, protect, browse · **To what, where:** certain acacia trees, elephants · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the means by which certain acacia trees are protected against browsing elephants.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
6	certain	certain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	acacia	acacia	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	protected	protect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	_
11	against	against	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
12	browsing	browse	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	advcl	_	_
13	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **protect** | present · passive |  | certain acacia trees |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Beneficiary |
| 4 | **browse** | gerund |  | elephants |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ants inhabiting the thorns attack the soft interior of the trunk

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e4:o1:1
# text = Ants inhabiting the thorns attack the soft interior of the trunk
1	Ants	ant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	inhabiting	inhabit	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	acl	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	thorns	thorn	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	attack	attack	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	interior	interior	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	trunk	trunk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **inhabit** | gerund | Ants *not said here* | the thorns |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **attack** | present | Ants | the soft interior of the trunk |  |  |  |  | vn attack-60.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent interior=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mice inhabiting the branches frighten the elephants

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e4:o2:1
# text = Mice inhabiting the branches frighten the elephants
1	Mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	inhabiting	inhabit	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	acl	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	branches	branch	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	frighten	frighten	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **inhabit** | gerund | Mice *not said here* | the branches |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **frighten** | present | Mice | the elephants |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus elephant=Experiencer |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The trees are surrounded by tall fences erected around them by the ants

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e4:o3:1
# text = The trees are surrounded by tall fences erected around them by the ants
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	surrounded	surround	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	tall	tall	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	fences	fence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl:agent	_	_
8	erected	erect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	_
9	around	around	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obl	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	ants	ant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl:agent	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **surround** | present · passive | tall fences | the trees |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme subject=Co-Theme |
| 2 | **erect** | participle |  | tall fences *not said here* |  |  |  | around trees *= tree* | vn build-26.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The trees emit a smoke of chilli

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:149-myth-check-are-elephants-scared-of-mice:e4:o4:1
# text = The trees emit a smoke of chilli
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	emit	emit	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	chilli	chilli	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **emit** | present | the trees | a smoke of chilli |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Source smoke=Theme |
| 2 | **smoke** |  | chilli |  |  |  |  |  | nom smoke «phenomenon intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- 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.

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