---
title: «mum, why are those dolphins slapping the mud in a circle» What is g… — Animal minds: dolphins' names, orca gr… · tree and pragmatics
description: «mum, why are those dolphins slapping the mud in a circle» What is going on? Test 10 · ★★ of lesson 235 «Animal minds: dolphins' names, orca grandmothers and whale songs» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova'
---

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# Test 10 · ★★ · Animal minds: dolphins' names, orca grandmothers and whale…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«mum, why are those dolphins slapping the mud in a circle» What is going on?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** dolphins, circle · **What happens:** be, slap, go on · **To what, where:** dolphins, mud, circle

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 10 · ★★ of lesson 235 «Animal minds: dolphins' names, orca grandmothers and whale songs» 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/235-animal-minds-dolphins-names-orca-grandmothers-and-whale-songs/#t10).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:235-animal-minds-dolphins-names-orca-grandmothers-and-whale-songs:t10:1
# text = «mum, why are those dolphins slapping the mud in a circle» What is going on?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
4	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	those	that	DET	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	7	det	_	_
7	dolphins	dolphin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	appos	_	_
8	slapping	slap	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	mud	mud	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	circle	circle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
15	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	17	nsubj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
17	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	13	conj	_	_
18	on	on	ADP	RP	_	17	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** *in a quote* | present |  | that dolphins |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **slap** *in a quote* | gerund | that dolphins *not said here* | the mud |  | a circle |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent mud=Theme in circle=Destination |
| 3 | **go on** | present · progressive | a circle |  |  |  |  |  | vn function-105.2.1 «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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They trap fish, which jump out of the ring into their mouths

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:235-animal-minds-dolphins-names-orca-grandmothers-and-whale-songs:t10:o1:1
# text = They trap fish, which jump out of the ring into their mouths
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	trap	trap	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	jump	jump	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	out	out	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	into	into	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	mouths	mouth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **trap** | present | They | fish |  |  |  | into their mouths *result* | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent fish=Patient into mouth=Result |
| 2 | **jump out** | present | fish | the ring |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme ring=Trajectory |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are angry at the mud

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:235-animal-minds-dolphins-names-orca-grandmothers-and-whale-songs:t10:o2:1
# text = They are angry at the mud
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	angry	angry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	mud	mud	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are building a nest

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:235-animal-minds-dolphins-names-orca-grandmothers-and-whale-songs:t10:o3:1
# text = They are building a nest
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	building	build	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	nest	nest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **build** | present · progressive | They | a nest |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset nest=Product |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are washing themselves clean in the mud, like pigs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:235-animal-minds-dolphins-names-orca-grandmothers-and-whale-songs:t10:o4:1
# text = They are washing themselves clean in the mud, like pigs
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	washing	wash	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	themselves	themselves	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	3	obj	_	_
5	clean	clean	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	mud	mud	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	pigs	pig	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wash** | present · progressive | They | themselves *= they* |  | the mud |  | like pigs; clean *property* | vn floss-41.2.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent themselves=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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