---
title: oi why's the elephant just standing there sniffing the air like a we… — Elephants: the trunk and everything it… · tree and pragmatics
description: oi why's the elephant just standing there sniffing the air like a weirdo Test 7 of lesson 21 «Elephants: the trunk and everything it does» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 7 · Elephants: the trunk and everything it does

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
oi why's the elephant just standing there sniffing the air like a weirdo

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** oi · **What happens:** be, stand, sniff · **To what, where:** elephant, air

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 of lesson 21 «Elephants: the trunk and everything it does» 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/#t7).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:21-elephants-the-trunk:t7:1
# text = oi why's the elephant just standing there sniffing the air like a weirdo
1	oi	oi	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	7	nsubj	_	_
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	elephant	elephant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	standing	stand	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	0	root	_	_
8	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	7	advmod	_	_
9	sniffing	sniff	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	like	like	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	weirdo	weirdo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | the elephant |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **stand** | gerund | oi |  |  | there |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **sniff** | gerund | oi *not said here* | the air |  |  |  | like a weirdo | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent air=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It's checking if it's going to snow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:21-elephants-the-trunk:t7:o1:1
# text = It's checking if it's going to snow
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	checking	check	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	snow	snow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **check** | present · progressive | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **go** *a condition, not said to happen* | present · progressive | it | snow |  |  |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It's trying to sneeze on the crowd

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:21-elephants-the-trunk:t7:o2:1
# text = It's trying to sneeze on the crowd
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	trying	try	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	sneeze	sneeze	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	crowd	crowd	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | present · progressive | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **sneeze** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  |  |  | the crowd |  |  | vn hiccup-40.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It's smelling for water or other elephants far away

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:21-elephants-the-trunk:t7:o3:1
# text = It's smelling for water or other elephants far away
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	smelling	smell	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	_
9	far	far	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	10	advmod	_	_
10	away	away	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **smell** | present · progressive | It |  |  |  |  | for water or other elephants; away *property* | vn smell\_emission-43.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It can't see a thing, so it's smelling for the keeper with the food

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:21-elephants-the-trunk:t7:o4:1
# text = It can't see a thing, so it's smelling for the keeper with the food
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	see	see	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	smelling	smell	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	parataxis	_	_
12	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	keeper	keeper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	with	with	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **see** | can | It | a thing |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer thing=Stimulus |
| 2 | **smell** | present · progressive | thing |  |  |  |  | for the keeper; with the food | vn smell\_emission-43.3 «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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