---
title: In the cartoon a seal claps its flippers and balances a ball. What's… — Dolphins, porpoises and seals · tree and pragmatics
description: In the cartoon a seal claps its flippers and balances a ball. What's the real story? Test 2 · ★ of lesson 27 «Dolphins, porpoises and seals» 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 was wrong.
---

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# Test 2 · ★ · Dolphins, porpoises and seals

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In the cartoon a seal claps its flippers and balances a ball. What's the real story?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** seal, real story · **What happens:** clap, balance, be · **To what, where:** flippers, ball

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 · ★ of lesson 27 «Dolphins, porpoises and seals» 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/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In the cartoon a seal claps its flippers and balances a ball.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t2:1
# text = In the cartoon a seal claps its flippers and balances a ball.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|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	seal	seal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	claps	clap	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	flippers	flipper	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	balances	balance	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **clap** | present | a seal | seal's flippers |  |  |  | in the cartoon | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent flipper=Patient in cartoon=Theme |
| 2 | **balance** | present | a seal *not said here* | a ball |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location ball=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's the real story?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t2:2
# text = What's the real story?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That is a trick taught to sea lions, not what wild seals do

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t2:o1:1
# text = That is a trick taught to sea lions, not what wild seals do
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	trick	trick	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	taught	teach	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	lions	lion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	14	obj	_	_
12	wild	wild	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	seals	seal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nsubj	_	_
14	do	do	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | That | a trick |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **teach** *speech: other* | participle |  | a trick *not said here* | sea lions |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V PP.recipient how S»: agent=Agent to lion=Recipient |
| 3 | **do** | present | wild seals | a trick |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wild seals do it every day on the rocks to have some fun

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t2:o2:1
# text = Wild seals do it every day on the rocks to have some fun
1	Wild	wild	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	seals	seal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	do	do	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
6	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	have	have	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
12	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	13	det	_	_
13	fun	fun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present | Wild seals | it |  | the rocks | day |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |
| 2 | **have** | to-infinitive | Wild seals *not said here* | some fun |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fun=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only baby seals do it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t2:o3:1
# text = Only baby seals do it
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	seals	seal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	do	do	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present | baby seals | it |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Seals clap to call their mothers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t2:o4:1
# text = Seals clap to call their mothers
1	Seals	seal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	clap	clap	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	call	call	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	mothers	mother	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **clap** | present | Seals |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **call** | to-infinitive | Seals *not said here* |  | Seals's mothers |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent mother=Recipient |

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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: [Dolphins, porpoises and seals, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/t1/)
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