---
title: Identify the principal reason for which a small spherical bowl is un… — Goldfish and pond fish: the three-seco… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which a small spherical bowl is unsuitable for the keeping of a goldfish. Exam question 2 of lesson 204 «Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/e2/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/) / [Goldfish and pond fish: the three-seco…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/) / e2

# Exam question 2 · Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which a small spherical bowl is unsuitable for the keeping of a goldfish.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, small spherical bowl · **What happens:** identify, be, keep · **To what, where:** principal reason

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 204 «Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth» 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/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which a small spherical bowl is unsuitable for the keeping of a goldfish.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
8	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
9	spherical	spherical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	bowl	bowl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	unsuitable	unsuitable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	acl	_	_
13	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	keeping	keep	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	advcl	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	goldfish	goldfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	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 principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | a small spherical bowl |  |  |  |  | for the principal reason; unsuitable *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **keep** | gerund | a small spherical bowl *not said here* |  |  |  |  | of a goldfish | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fish may attain considerable size and age and produces substantial waste

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth:e2:o1:1
# text = The fish may attain considerable size and age and produces substantial waste
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	attain	attain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	considerable	considerable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	size	size	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	produces	produce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
11	substantial	substantial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	waste	waste	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attain** | may | the fish | considerable size and age |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent size=Theme |
| 2 | **produce** | present | the fish *not said here* | substantial waste |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent waste=Result |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fish is unable to perceive curved surfaces and therefore swims continuously into the glass

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth:e2:o2:1
# text = The fish is unable to perceive curved surfaces and therefore swims continuously into the glass
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	perceive	perceive	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	curved	curve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	surfaces	surface	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	therefore	therefore	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	swims	swim	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
12	continuously	continuously	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
13	into	into	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the fish |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **perceive** | to-infinitive | the fish *not said here* | curved surfaces |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer surface=Stimulus |
| 3 | **curve** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn knead-26.5 «NP.material V PP.product»: agent=Material |
| 4 | **swim** | present | the fish *not said here* |  |  | the glass |  | continuously, therefore *property* | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme into glass=Destination |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fish requires corners in which to sleep

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth:e2:o3:1
# text = The fish requires corners in which to sleep
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	requires	require	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	corners	corner	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	sleep	sleep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | present | the fish | corners |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme corner=Precondition |
| 2 | **sleep** | to-infinitive | the fish *not said here* | corners *not said here* |  | corners |  |  | vn fit-54.3 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent in which=Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spherical vessels are invariably too warm

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth:e2:o4:1
# text = Spherical vessels are invariably too warm
1	Spherical	spherical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	vessels	vessel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	invariably	invariably	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	too	too	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Spherical vessels |  |  |  |  | invariably, warm *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Goldfish and pond fish: the three-seco…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/e1/)
- next →: [Goldfish and pond fish: the three-seco…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Goldfish and pond fish: the three-second memory myth](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/204-goldfish-and-pond-fish-the-three-second-memory-myth/)