---
title: In a cartoon a chameleon walks onto a tartan blanket and turns tarta… — Defences: tricks and myths: playing de… · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon a chameleon walks onto a tartan blanket and turns tartan. What is right? Test 2 of lesson 249 «Defences: tricks and myths: playing dead, dropping tails, ink, and do ostriches bury their heads?» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of th
---

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# Test 2 · Defences: tricks and myths: playing dead, dropping tails,…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon a chameleon walks onto a tartan blanket and turns tartan. What is right?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** chameleon · **What happens:** walk, turn, be · **To what, where:** cartoon, tartan

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 of lesson 249 «Defences: tricks and myths: playing dead, dropping tails, ink, and do ostriches bury their heads?» 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/249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon a chameleon walks onto a tartan blanket and turns tartan.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches:t2:1
# text = In a cartoon a chameleon walks onto a tartan blanket and turns tartan.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	chameleon	chameleon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	walks	walk	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	onto	onto	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	tartan	tartan	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	blanket	blanket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	turns	turn	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
13	tartan	tartan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **walk** | present | a chameleon |  |  | a cartoon |  | onto a tartan blanket | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in cartoon=Trajectory |
| 2 | **turn** | present | a chameleon *not said here* | tartan |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent tartan=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 right?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches:t2:2
# text = What is right?
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	right	right	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 |  |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, real chameleons can copy any pattern they sit on in a second, even stripes and spots

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches:t2:o1:1
# text = Yes, real chameleons can copy any pattern they sit on in a second, even stripes and spots
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
3	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	chameleons	chameleon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	copy	copy	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	pattern	pattern	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	sit	sit	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	acl:relcl	_	_
11	on	on	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	second	second	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
16	even	even	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
17	stripes	stripe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	conj	_	_
18	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
19	spots	spot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **copy** | can | real chameleons | any pattern and stripes and spots |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pattern=Theme |
| 2 | **sit** | present | chameleons *= chameleon* | any pattern and stripes and spots *not said here* |  |  | second |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location pattern=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They only change colour at night

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches:t2:o2:1
# text = They only change colour at night
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	change	change	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | present | They | colour |  |  | night |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colour=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They turn invisible on blankets

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches:t2:o3:1
# text = They turn invisible on blankets
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	turn	turn	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	invisible	invisible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	blankets	blanket	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **turn** | present | They |  |  | blankets |  | invisible *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme on blanket=Trajectory |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real chameleons change colour mostly for mood and temperature, and cannot copy patterns like that

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches:t2:o4:1
# text = Real chameleons change colour mostly for mood and temperature, and cannot copy patterns like that
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	chameleons	chameleon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	change	change	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	mostly	mostly	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	mood	mood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
14	copy	copy	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
15	patterns	pattern	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obj	_	_
16	like	like	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	14	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | present | Real chameleons | colour |  |  |  | for mood and temperature; mostly *property* | vn exchange-13.6.1 «NP V NP PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent colour=Theme for mood=Co-Theme |
| 2 | **not** **copy** | can |  | patterns |  |  |  | like that | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pattern=Theme |

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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: [Defences: tricks and myths: playing de…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches/t1/)
- next →: [Defences: tricks and myths: playing de…, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches/t3/)
- ↑ back to [Defences: tricks and myths: playing dead, dropping tails, ink, and do ostriches bury their heads?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/249-defences-tricks-and-myths-playing-dead-dropping-tails-ink-and-ostriches/)