---
title: In a famous cartoon a frightened elephant leaps onto a stool when a… — Rats and mice in the city, and the ele… · tree and pragmatics
description: In a famous cartoon a frightened elephant leaps onto a stool when a mouse runs past. What is true? Test 2 · ★ of lesson 222 «Rats and mice in the city, and the elephant and mouse myth» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each
---

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# Test 2 · ★ · Rats and mice in the city, and the elephant and mouse myth

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a famous cartoon a frightened elephant leaps onto a stool when a mouse runs past. What is true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** frightened elephant, mouse · **What happens:** leap, run past, be · **To what, where:** famous cartoon

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 · ★ of lesson 222 «Rats and mice in the city, and the elephant and mouse myth» 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/222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a famous cartoon a frightened elephant leaps onto a stool when a mouse runs past.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth:t2:1
# text = In a famous cartoon a frightened elephant leaps onto a stool when a mouse runs past.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	famous	famous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	frightened	frightened	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	elephant	elephant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	leaps	leap	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	onto	onto	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	stool	stool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
12	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	15	advmod	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	mouse	mouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
15	runs	run	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
16	past	past	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leap** | present | a frightened elephant |  |  | a famous cartoon |  | onto a stool | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in cartoon=Trajectory |
| 2 | **run past** | present | a mouse |  |  |  |  | past *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What is true?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth:t2:2
# text = What is true?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real elephants fear mice because mice eat their food

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth:t2:o1:1
# text = Real elephants fear mice because mice eat their food
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	fear	fear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	eat	eat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fear** | present | Real elephants | mice |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer mouse=Stimulus |
| 2 | **eat** | present | mice | mice's food |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real elephants always faint when they see a mouse

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth:t2:o2:1
# text = Real elephants always faint when they see a mouse
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	4	advmod	_	_
4	faint	faint	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	see	see	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	mouse	mouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **faint** | present | Real elephants |  |  |  |  | always *property* | vn change\_bodily\_state-40.8.4 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **see** | present | elephants *= elephant* | a mouse |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer mouse=Stimulus |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
There is no good evidence real elephants fear mice especially

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth:t2:o3:1
# text = There is no good evidence real elephants fear mice especially
1	There	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	2	expl	_	_
2	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	5	det	_	_
4	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
6	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	fear	fear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl	_	_
9	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
10	especially	especially	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **be** | present | no good evidence |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **fear** | present | real elephants | mice |  |  |  | especially *property* | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer mouse=Stimulus |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real mice hunt elephants in the wild, so elephants have learned to fear them

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth:t2:o4:1
# text = Real mice hunt elephants in the wild, so elephants have learned to fear them
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	mice	mouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	hunt	hunt	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	wild	wild	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
11	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	learned	learn	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	3	conj	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	fear	fear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	xcomp	_	_
15	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hunt** | present | Real mice | elephants |  | the wild |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent elephant=Theme in wild=Location |
| 2 | **learn** | present · perfect | elephants |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **fear** | to-infinitive | elephants *not said here* | elephants *= elephant* |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer they=Stimulus |

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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: [Rats and mice in the city, and the ele…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth/t1/)
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- ↑ back to [Rats and mice in the city, and the elephant and mouse myth](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth/)