---
title: Identify the statement which accurately characterises the righting r… — Cat body language and cat myths: milk,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the statement which accurately characterises the righting reflex of the cat. Exam question 3 of lesson 199 «Cat body language and cat myths: milk, nine lives and landing on their feet» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question an
---

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# Exam question 3 · Cat body language and cat myths: milk, nine lives and land…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the statement which accurately characterises the righting reflex of the cat.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, statement · **What happens:** identify, characteris · **To what, where:** statement, righting reflex

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 199 «Cat body language and cat myths: milk, nine lives and landing on their feet» 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/199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet:e3:1
# text = Identify the statement which accurately characterises the righting reflex of the cat.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
5	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	righting	righting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	reflex	reflex	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the statement |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent statement=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present | the statement | the righting reflex of the cat |  |  |  | accurately *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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reflex is possessed only by black cats

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet:e3:o1:1
# text = The reflex is possessed only by black cats
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reflex	reflex	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	possessed	possess	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	black	black	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present · passive | black cats | the reflex |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reflex is a consequence of the cat having nine lives

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet:e3:o2:1
# text = The reflex is a consequence of the cat having nine lives
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reflex	reflex	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	consequence	consequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	having	have	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
10	nine	nine	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	11	nummod	_	_
11	lives	life	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the reflex | a consequence |  |  |  | of the cat | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | gerund | a consequence *not said here* | nine lives |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent life=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reflex renders the cat entirely immune to all injury from falls of whatever height

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet:e3:o3:1
# text = The reflex renders the cat entirely immune to all injury from falls of whatever height
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reflex	reflex	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	renders	render	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	immune	immune	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	10	det	_	_
10	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	falls	fall	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	whatever	whatever	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	12	conj	_	_
15	height	height	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | present | the reflex | the cat |  | falls |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent cat=Theme from fall=Initial\_Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cat twists so as to land upon its feet, yet may nonetheless sustain serious injury

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet:e3:o4:1
# text = The cat twists so as to land upon its feet, yet may nonetheless sustain serious injury
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	twists	twist	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	so	so	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
5	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	land	land	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
8	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	feet	foot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	yet	yet	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
14	nonetheless	nonetheless	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	sustain	sustain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
16	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **twist** | present | the cat |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **land** | to-infinitive | the cat *not said here* |  |  |  |  | upon cat's feet | vn pocket-9.10-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **sustain** | may | the cat *not said here* | serious injury |  |  |  | nonetheless *property* | vn sustain-55.6 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent injury=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.

<!-- /div -->

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