---
title: Identify the principal means by which a web-building spider ascertai… — Animal builders: spiders' webs and silk · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal means by which a web-building spider ascertains the capture of its prey. Exam question 2 of lesson 244 «Animal builders: spiders' webs and silk» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's c
---

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# Exam question 2 · Animal builders: spiders' webs and silk

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal means by which a web-building spider ascertains the capture of its prey.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, principal, building spider · **What happens:** identify, mean, ascertain, capture · **To what, where:** capture, prey

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 244 «Animal builders: spiders' webs and silk» 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/244-animal-builders-spiders-webs-and-silk/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:244-animal-builders-spiders-webs-and-silk:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal means by which a web-building spider ascertains the capture of its prey.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
8	web	web	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	building	building	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	spider	spider	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	ascertains	ascertain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	capture	capture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the principal |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **ascertain** | present | a building spider | the capture of spider's prey |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent capture=Topic |
| 4 | **capture** |  |  | spider's prey |  |  |  |  | nom capture «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Continuous visual observation at great distance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:244-animal-builders-spiders-webs-and-silk:e2:o1:1
# text = Continuous visual observation at great distance
1	Continuous	continuous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
2	visual	visual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	observation	observation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	distance	distance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The detection of sound carried through the air

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:244-animal-builders-spiders-webs-and-silk:e2:o2:1
# text = The detection of sound carried through the air
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	detection	detection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	carried	carry	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | participle |  | the detection of sound *not said here* |  | the air |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **detect** |  |  | sound |  |  |  |  | nom detection «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The assistance of other spiders stationed nearby

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:244-animal-builders-spiders-webs-and-silk:e2:o3:1
# text = The assistance of other spiders stationed nearby
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	assistance	assistance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	spiders	spider	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	stationed	station	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
7	nearby	nearby	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **station** | participle |  | other spiders *not said here* |  |  |  | nearby *property* | vn put-9.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **assist** |  |  | other spiders |  |  |  |  | nom assistance «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The perception of vibrations transmitted through the threads

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:244-animal-builders-spiders-webs-and-silk:e2:o4:1
# text = The perception of vibrations transmitted through the threads
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	perception	perception	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	vibrations	vibration	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	transmitted	transmit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	threads	thread	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **transmit** | participle |  | vibrations *not said here* |  | the threads |  |  | vn send-11.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **perceive** |  |  | vibrations |  |  |  |  | nom perception «cognition transitive»: of=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.

<!-- /div -->

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