---
title: «his fur's all spiky on his back, he's gonna kill us» What is closer… — Reading a dog: tails, play bows, growl… · tree and pragmatics
description: «his fur's all spiky on his back, he's gonna kill us» What is closer to the truth? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 194 «Reading a dog: tails, play bows, growls and staying safe» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's ch
---

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# Test 9 · ★ · Reading a dog: tails, play bows, growls and staying safe

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«his fur's all spiky on his back, he's gonna kill us» What is closer to the truth?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** fur, he, spiky · **What happens:** be · **To what, where:** back

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 194 «Reading a dog: tails, play bows, growls and staying safe» of the biology course of Mova's primary school. 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/194-reading-a-dog-tails-play-bows-growls-and-staying-safe/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:194-reading-a-dog-tails-play-bows-growls-and-staying-safe:t9:1
# text = «his fur's all spiky on his back, he's gonna kill us» What is closer to the truth?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	fur	fur	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	all	all	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	spiky	spiky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	nsubj	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	back	back	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
13	gonna	gonna	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	kill	kill	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
15	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
17	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	nsubj	_	_
18	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
19	closer	close	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
20	to	to	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	19	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | his fur |  |  | his back |  | all, spiky *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | he |  |  |  |  | kill *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | present | spiky |  |  |  |  | to the truth; close *property* | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It always means an attack is coming

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:194-reading-a-dog-tails-play-bows-growls-and-staying-safe:t9:o1:1
# text = It always means an attack is coming
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	3	advmod	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	attack	attack	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	coming	come	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | It |  |  |  |  | always *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **come** | present · progressive | a attack |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Raised hackles mean he is very worked up, not always angry

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:194-reading-a-dog-tails-play-bows-growls-and-staying-safe:t9:o2:1
# text = Raised hackles mean he is very worked up, not always angry
1	Raised	raise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	amod	_	_
2	hackles	hackles	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	mean	mean	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
6	very	very	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	worked	work	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	_
8	up	up	ADP	RP	_	7	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
11	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	12	advmod	_	_
12	angry	angry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **raise** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **mean** | present | Raised hackles |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **work up** | present · passive |  | he |  |  |  |  | vn knead-26.5 «NP V NP.material»: subject=Material |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It means he is cold

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:194-reading-a-dog-tails-play-bows-growls-and-staying-safe:t9:o3:1
# text = It means he is cold
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	cold	cold	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | he |  |  |  |  | cold *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It means he just had a wash

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:194-reading-a-dog-tails-play-bows-growls-and-staying-safe:t9:o4:1
# text = It means he just had a wash
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	just	just	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	wash	wash	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** | past | he | a wash |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wash=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.

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