---
title: A cat sits as still as a statue by a mouse hole for ten minutes, the… — Cats as hunters: presents on the doorm… · tree and pragmatics
description: A cat sits as still as a statue by a mouse hole for ten minutes, then pounces. Is this like the cartoon or like real life? Test 12 · ★★ of lesson 198 «Cats as hunters: presents on the doormat and why Tom never catches Jerry» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree an
---

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# Test 12 · ★★ · Cats as hunters: presents on the doormat and why Tom never…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cat sits as still as a statue by a mouse hole for ten minutes, then pounces. Is this like the cartoon or like real life?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** cat, this · **What happens:** sit, pounce, be

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This is test 12 · ★★ of lesson 198 «Cats as hunters: presents on the doormat and why Tom never catches Jerry» 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/198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry/#t12).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A cat sits as still as a statue by a mouse hole for ten minutes, then pounces.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry:t12:1
# text = A cat sits as still as a statue by a mouse hole for ten minutes, then pounces.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sits	sit	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	as	as	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	still	still	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	statue	statue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	mouse	mouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	hole	hole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	ten	ten	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	15	nummod	_	_
15	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
17	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	18	advmod	_	_
18	pounces	pounce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit** | present | a cat |  |  |  | still | as a statue; by a mouse hole for ten minutes | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent by hole=Location |
| 2 | **pounce** | present | a cat *not said here* |  |  |  | then |  | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Is this like the cartoon or like real life?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry:t12:2
# text = Is this like the cartoon or like real life?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
2	this	this	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	nsubj	_	_
3	like	like	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	like	like	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | this |  |  |  |  | like the cartoon or real life | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Both, this part of the cartoon is true

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry:t12:o1:1
# text = Both, this part of the cartoon is true
1	Both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	det	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	det	_	_
4	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | both part of the cartoon |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Neither, cats do not hunt mice

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry:t12:o2:1
# text = Neither, cats do not hunt mice
1	Neither	neither	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	hunt	hunt	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **hunt** | present · do-support | cats | mice |  |  |  | neither *property* | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mouse=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only the cartoon, real cats never wait

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry:t12:o3:1
# text = Only the cartoon, real cats never wait
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	wait	wait	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **wait** | present | real cats | the cartoon |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only real life, Tom never waits

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry:t12:o4:1
# text = Only real life, Tom never waits
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	Tom	Tom	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	waits	wait	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **wait** | present | Tom | real life |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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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- ← previous: [Cats as hunters: presents on the doorm…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry/t11/)
- next →: [Cats as hunters: presents on the doorm…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry/e1/)
- ↑ back to [Cats as hunters: presents on the doormat and why Tom never catches Jerry](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/198-cats-as-hunters-presents-on-the-doormat-and-why-tom-never-catches-jerry/)