---
title: Ascertain the principal function of colour change in the chameleon. — Animal myths put right: elephants and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal function of colour change in the chameleon. Exam question 4 of lesson 295 «Animal myths put right: elephants and mice, lemmings, ostriches and goldfish» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

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# Exam question 4 · Animal myths put right: elephants and mice, lemmings, ostr…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal function of colour change in the chameleon.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain · **To what, where:** principal function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 295 «Animal myths put right: elephants and mice, lemmings, ostriches and goldfish» 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/295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the principal function of colour change in the chameleon.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	change	change	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	chameleon	chameleon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal function of colour change in the chameleon |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The concealment of the animal from its own reflection

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish:e4:o1:1
# text = The concealment of the animal from its own reflection
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	concealment	concealment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
8	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	reflection	reflection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **conceal** |  |  | the animal from animal's own reflection |  |  |  |  | nom concealment «state transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The attraction of insects by means of bright patterns

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish:e4:o2:1
# text = The attraction of insects by means of bright patterns
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	attraction	attraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	bright	bright	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	patterns	pattern	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the attraction of insects |  |  |  |  | of bright patterns | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **attract** |  |  | insects |  |  |  |  | nom attraction «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The precise reproduction of any background whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish:e4:o3:1
# text = The precise reproduction of any background whatsoever
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	precise	precise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	reproduction	reproduction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	6	det	_	_
6	background	background	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reproduce** |  | any background |  |  |  |  |  | nom reproduction «process intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The communication of mood and signals, and the regulation of temperature

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish:e4:o4:1
# text = The communication of mood and signals, and the regulation of temperature
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	communication	communication	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	mood	mood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	signals	signal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	regulation	regulation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **communicate** |  | mood and signals |  |  |  |  |  | nom communication «communication intransitive»: of=agent |
| 2 | **regulate** |  |  | temperature |  |  |  |  | nom regulation «communication 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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- ← previous: [Animal myths put right: elephants and…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish/e3/)
- next →: [Animals in the news: true stories, fak…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/296-animals-in-the-news-true-stories-fakes-and-how-to-read-them/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Animal myths put right: elephants and mice, lemmings, ostriches and goldfish](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/295-animal-myths-put-right-elephants-and-mice-lemmings-ostriches-and-goldfish/)