---
title: It is given that the front teeth of a hamster are of a yellow-orange… — Hamsters, gerbils and pet rats and mice · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that the front teeth of a hamster are of a yellow-orange colour. Ascertain the correct interpretation. Exam question 4 of lesson 202 «Hamsters, gerbils and pet rats and mice» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of ea
---

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# Exam question 4 · Hamsters, gerbils and pet rats and mice

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that the front teeth of a hamster are of a yellow-orange colour. Ascertain the correct interpretation.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** front teeth, you · **What happens:** give, be, ascertain · **To what, where:** It, correct interpretation

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 202 «Hamsters, gerbils and pet rats and mice» 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/202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that the front teeth of a hamster are of a yellow-orange colour.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice:e4:1
# text = It is given that the front teeth of a hamster are of a yellow-orange colour.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	front	front	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	nsubj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	hamster	hamster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
14	yellow	yellow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	orange	orange	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | the front teeth of a hamster |  |  |  |  | of a orange colour | 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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Ascertain the correct interpretation.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice:e4:2
# text = Ascertain the correct interpretation.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	interpretation	interpretation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	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 correct interpretation |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent interpretation=Topic |

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The colour is normal, since rodent incisors bear a hard orange layer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice:e4:o1:1
# text = The colour is normal, since rodent incisors bear a hard orange layer
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	normal	normal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	since	since	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
7	rodent	rodent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	incisors	incisor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	bear	bear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
11	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
12	orange	orange	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	layer	layer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the colour |  |  |  |  | normal *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **bear** | present | rodent incisors | a hard orange layer |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent layer=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The colour denotes a grave disease

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice:e4:o2:1
# text = The colour denotes a grave disease
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	denotes	denote	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	grave	grave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	disease	disease	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **denote** | present | the colour | a grave disease |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot disease=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The colour results from excessive consumption of carrots

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice:e4:o3:1
# text = The colour results from excessive consumption of carrots
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	results	result	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	excessive	excessive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	consumption	consumption	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	carrots	carrot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** |  |  | carrots |  |  |  |  | nom consumption «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The colour indicates that the teeth have ceased growing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice:e4:o4:1
# text = The colour indicates that the teeth have ceased growing
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	indicates	indicate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	ceased	cease	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	_
9	growing	grow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** | present | the colour |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot clause=Topic |
| 2 | **cease** | present · perfect · passive |  | the teeth |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **grow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «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.

<!-- /div -->

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- next →: [The fish tank: water, gills, heaters a…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/203-the-fish-tank-water-gills-heaters-and-the-right-neighbours/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Hamsters, gerbils and pet rats and mice](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/202-hamsters-gerbils-and-pet-rats-and-mice/)