---
title: It is given that a horse has its ears laid flat against its head. As… — Horses and ponies: how they eat, see,… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a horse has its ears laid flat against its head. Ascertain the correct interpretation. Exam question 3 of lesson 207 «Horses and ponies: how they eat, see, sleep and live in herds» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questio
---

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# Exam question 3 · Horses and ponies: how they eat, see, sleep and live in he…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a horse has its ears laid flat against its head. Ascertain the correct interpretation.

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

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 207 «Horses and ponies: how they eat, see, sleep and live in herds» 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/207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a horse has its ears laid flat against its head.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds:e3:1
# text = It is given that a horse has its ears laid flat against its head.
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	_	7	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
10	laid	lay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	acl	_	_
11	flat	flat	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
12	against	against	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 | **have** | present | a horse | horse's ears |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ear=Patient |
| 3 | **lay** | participle |  | horse's ears *not said here* |  | horse's head |  | flat *property* | vn put\_spatial-9.2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent against head=Destination |

<!-- .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:207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds:e3:2
# 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal is about to fall asleep

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds:e3:o1:1
# text = The animal is about to fall asleep
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	about	about	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	fall	fall	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	asleep	asleep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the animal |  |  |  |  | about *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **fall** | to-infinitive | the animal *not said here* |  |  |  |  | asleep *property* | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal is attending to distant music

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds:e3:o2:1
# text = The animal is attending to distant music
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	attending	attend	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	distant	distant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	music	music	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attend** | present · progressive | the animal |  |  |  |  | to distant music | vn caring-75.2-1-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent to music=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal is content and relaxed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds:e3:o3:1
# text = The animal is content and relaxed
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	content	content	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	relaxed	relaxed	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the animal |  |  |  |  | content *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | the animal *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal is angered or annoyed and is issuing a warning

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds:e3:o4:1
# text = The animal is angered or annoyed and is issuing a warning
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	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	angered	anger	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	annoyed	annoyed	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	issuing	issue	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	conj	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	warning	warning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **anger** | present · passive |  | the animal |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |
| 2 | **issue** | present · progressive |  | a warning |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location warning=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: [Horses and ponies: how they eat, see,…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds/e2/)
- next →: [Horses and ponies: how they eat, see,…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Horses and ponies: how they eat, see, sleep and live in herds](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/207-horses-and-ponies-how-they-eat-see-sleep-and-live-in-herds/)