---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Defences: skunks, porcupines, hedgehog… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the defensive conduct of the porcupine? Exam question 1 of lesson 248 «Defences: skunks, porcupines, hedgehogs and armour» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of ea
---

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# Exam question 1 · Defences: skunks, porcupines, hedgehogs and armour

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the defensive conduct of the porcupine?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris, conduct · **To what, where:** defensive conduct, porcupine

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 248 «Defences: skunks, porcupines, hedgehogs and armour» 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/248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the defensive conduct of the porcupine?
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	8	obl	_	_
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	11	det	_	_
10	defensive	defensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	conduct	conduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	porcupine	porcupine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	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 |  | the defensive conduct of the porcupine |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **conduct** |  |  | the porcupine |  |  |  |  | nom conduct «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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its barbed quills detach readily upon contact but cannot be projected

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour:e1:o1:1
# text = Its barbed quills detach readily upon contact but cannot be projected
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	barbed	barbed	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	quills	quill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	detach	detach	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	readily	readily	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	contact	contact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
9	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
11	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	projected	project	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **detach** | present | Its barbed quills |  |  |  |  | upon contact; readily *property* | vn disassemble-23.3 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **project** | can · passive | Its barbed quills *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V» |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It discharges its quills over considerable distances, much as an archer looses arrows

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour:e1:o2:1
# text = It discharges its quills over considerable distances, much as an archer looses arrows
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	discharges	discharge	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	quills	quill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	over	over	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	considerable	considerable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	distances	distance	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	much	much	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	nsubj	_	_
10	as	as	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	archer	archer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	looses	loose	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
14	arrows	arrow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **discharge** | present | It | its quills |  |  |  | over considerable distances | vn banish-10.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent quill=Theme |
| 2 | **loose** | present | much as a archer | arrows |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent arrow=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It possesses venomous quills in the manner of a scorpion

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour:e1:o3:1
# text = It possesses venomous quills in the manner of a scorpion
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	possesses	possess	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	venomous	venomous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	quills	quill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	manner	manner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	scorpion	scorpion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present | It | venomous quills |  | the manner of a scorpion |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot quill=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It relies exclusively upon flight from its pursuers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour:e1:o4:1
# text = It relies exclusively upon flight from its pursuers
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	relies	rely	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	flight	flight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	pursuers	pursuer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rely** | present | It |  |  | flight's pursuers |  | upon flight; exclusively *property* | vn rely-70 «NP V PP.theme S\_ING»: agent=Agent |

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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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- ↑ back to [Defences: skunks, porcupines, hedgehogs and armour](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/248-defences-skunks-porcupines-hedgehogs-and-armour/)