---
title: Identify the principal means by which insectivorous bats determine t… — Myth check: are bats blind? · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal means by which insectivorous bats determine the position of prey in darkness. Exam question 2 of lesson 153 «Myth check: are bats blind?» 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 w
---

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# Exam question 2 · Myth check: are bats blind?

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal means by which insectivorous bats determine the position of prey in darkness.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, principal, insectivorous bats · **What happens:** identify, mean, determine · **To what, where:** position · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 153 «Myth check: are bats blind?» 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/153-are-bats-blind/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:153-are-bats-blind:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal means by which insectivorous bats determine the position of prey in darkness.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
7	insectivorous	insectivorous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	bats	bat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	determine	determine	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	position	position	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	darkness	darkness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the principal |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **determine** | present | insectivorous bats | the position of prey in darkness |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent position=Topic |

<!-- .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 perception of heat emitted by the insects

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:153-are-bats-blind:e2:o1:1
# text = The perception of heat emitted by the insects
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	perception	perception	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	emitted	emit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **emit** | participle |  | the perception of heat *not said here* |  |  |  | by the insects | vn substance\_emission-43.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Source |
| 2 | **perceive** |  |  | heat |  |  |  |  | nom perception «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The detection of the scent of insects at great distance by means of the large nose

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:153-are-bats-blind:e2:o2:1
# text = The detection of the scent of insects at great distance by means of the large nose
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	detection	detection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	scent	scent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	distance	distance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	nose	nose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the detection of the scent of insects at great distance |  |  |  |  | of the large nose | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **detect** |  |  | the scent of insects at great distance |  |  |  |  | nom detection «cognition transitive»: of=patient |
| 3 | **scent** |  |  | insects at great distance |  |  |  |  | nom scent «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The emission of high-pitched calls and the interpretation of their echoes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:153-are-bats-blind:e2:o3:1
# text = The emission of high-pitched calls and the interpretation of their echoes
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	emission	emission	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	high	high	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	pitched	pitch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	calls	call	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	interpretation	interpretation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	echoes	echo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pitch** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **emit** |  |  | pitched calls and the interpretation of calls's echoes |  |  |  |  | nom emission «act transitive»: of=patient |
| 3 | **interpret** |  |  | calls's echoes |  |  |  |  | nom interpretation «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tracing of insects by the light of the moon alone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:153-are-bats-blind:e2:o4:1
# text = The tracing of insects by the light of the moon alone
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tracing	tracing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	moon	moon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **trace** |  | the light of the moon | insects |  |  |  |  | nom tracing «act transitive»: of=patient by=agent |
| 2 | **light** |  |  | the moon |  |  |  |  | nom light «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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