---
title: Ascertain the reason for which a snake is popularly, though erroneou… — Myths and cartoons put right: Tom and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which a snake is popularly, though erroneously, believed to hypnotise its prey. Exam question 4 of lesson 191 «Myths and cartoons put right: Tom and Jerry, elephants and mice, ostriches and more» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pr
---

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# Exam question 4 · Myths and cartoons put right: Tom and Jerry, elephants and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which a snake is popularly, though erroneously, believed to hypnotise its prey.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, snake · **What happens:** ascertain, be, believe, hypnotise · **To what, where:** reason, prey

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 191 «Myths and cartoons put right: Tom and Jerry, elephants and mice, ostriches and more» 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/191-myths-and-cartoons-put-right/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:191-myths-and-cartoons-put-right:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which a snake is popularly, though erroneously, believed to hypnotise its prey.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	popularly	popularly	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	though	though	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
12	erroneously	erroneously	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
14	believed	believe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	16	mark	_	_
16	hypnotise	hypnotise	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	xcomp	_	_
17	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	18	nmod:poss	_	_
18	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present | a snake |  |  |  |  | for the reason; popularly *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **believe** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | erroneously *property* | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 4 | **hypnotise** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | snake's prey |  |  |  |  | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It releases a vapour that induces sleep

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:191-myths-and-cartoons-put-right:e4:o1:1
# text = It releases a vapour that induces sleep
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	releases	release	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	vapour	vapour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	induces	induce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	sleep	sleep	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **release** | present | It | a vapour |  |  |  |  | vn free-10.6.3-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Causer vapour=Source |
| 2 | **induce** | present | a vapour | sleep |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sleep=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It rotates its eyes in a spiral

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:191-myths-and-cartoons-put-right:e4:o2:1
# text = It rotates its eyes in a spiral
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	rotates	rotate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	spiral	spiral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rotate** | present | It | its eyes |  | a spiral |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location eye=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It emits a high sound which is inaudible to its prey and which causes it to stand quite still

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:191-myths-and-cartoons-put-right:e4:o3:1
# text = It emits a high sound which is inaudible to its prey and which causes it to stand quite still
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	emits	emit	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	high	high	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	inaudible	inaudible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	acl:relcl	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	nsubj	_	_
14	causes	cause	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	stand	stand	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	xcomp	_	_
18	quite	quite	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
19	still	still	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **emit** | present | It | a high sound |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Source sound=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | a high sound |  |  |  |  | to sound's prey; inaudible *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **cause** | present |  | sound |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **stand** | to-infinitive | sound *not said here* |  |  |  | still |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It possesses no eyelids and therefore stares without blinking

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:191-myths-and-cartoons-put-right:e4:o4:1
# text = It possesses no eyelids and therefore stares without blinking
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	possesses	possess	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	eyelids	eyelid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	therefore	therefore	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	stares	stare	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
8	without	without	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	blinking	blink	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present | It | no eyelids |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot eyelid=Theme |
| 2 | **stare** | present |  |  |  |  |  | therefore *property* | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **blink** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn hiccup-40.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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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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