---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Raccoons, opossums and skunks · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the behaviour termed playing possum? Exam question 2 of lesson 224 «Raccoons, opossums and skunks» 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
---

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# Exam question 2 · Raccoons, opossums and skunks

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the behaviour termed playing possum?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** behaviour · **What happens:** follow, characteris, term, play · **To what, where:** possum

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 224 «Raccoons, opossums and skunks» 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/224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks:e2:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the behaviour termed playing possum?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	nmod	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	behaviour	behaviour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	termed	term	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	ccomp	_	_
12	playing	play	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	xcomp	_	_
13	possum	possum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  |  |  |  |  | accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **term** | past | the behaviour |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **play** | gerund | the behaviour *not said here* | possum |  |  |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent possum=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal collapses, remains motionless and emits an offensive odour

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks:e2:o1:1
# text = The animal collapses, remains motionless and emits an offensive odour
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	collapses	collapse	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	remains	remain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
6	motionless	motionless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	emits	emit	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
9	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	offensive	offensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	odour	odour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **collapse** | present | the animal |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **remain** | present | the animal *not said here* |  |  |  |  | motionless *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **emit** | present | the animal *not said here* | a offensive odour |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Source odour=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal suspends itself by the tail for extended periods

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks:e2:o2:1
# text = The animal suspends itself by the tail for extended periods
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	suspends	suspend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	3	obj	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	extended	extended	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	periods	period	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **suspend** | present | the animal | animal |  |  |  | by the tail; for extended periods | vn put\_spatial-9.2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent itself=Theme by tail=Destination |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal conceals its young beneath fallen leaves

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks:e2:o3:1
# text = The animal conceals its young beneath fallen leaves
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	conceals	conceal	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	young	young	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	fallen	fall	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **conceal** | present | the animal | animal's young |  | fallen leaves |  |  | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent young=Patient beneath leaf=Location |
| 2 | **fall** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal flees in a circular path to confuse a pursuer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks:e2:o4:1
# text = The animal flees in a circular path to confuse a pursuer
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	flees	flee	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	circular	circular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	path	path	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	confuse	confuse	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	pursuer	pursuer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **flee** | present | the animal |  |  | a circular path |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **confuse** | to-infinitive | the animal *not said here* | a pursuer |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pursuer=Patient |

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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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