---
title: It is given that a lizard's tail is seized by a predator. Select the… — Snakes and lizards · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a lizard's tail is seized by a predator. Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the outcome. Exam question 4 of lesson 30 «Snakes and lizards» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of
---

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# Exam question 4 · Snakes and lizards

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a lizard's tail is seized by a predator. Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the outcome.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** predator, you, established facts · **What happens:** give, seize, select, establish, concern · **To what, where:** It, tail, response, outcome

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 30 «Snakes and lizards» 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/30-snakes-and-lizards/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a lizard's tail is seized by a predator.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:30-snakes-and-lizards:e4:1
# text = It is given that a lizard's tail is seized by a predator.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	lizard	lizard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	seized	seize	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	predator	predator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **seize** | present · passive | a predator | a lizard's tail |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=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:* Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the outcome.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:30-snakes-and-lizards:e4:2
# text = Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the outcome.
1	Select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	xcomp	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	facts	fact	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
9	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	outcome	outcome	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  |  |  | consistent *property* | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |
| 2 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 3 | **concern** | gerund | the established facts *not said here* | the outcome |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus outcome=Experiencer |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tail becomes venomous

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:30-snakes-and-lizards:e4:o1:1
# text = The tail becomes venomous
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	becomes	become	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	venomous	venomous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **become** | present | the tail |  |  |  |  | venomous *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The lizard invariably perishes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:30-snakes-and-lizards:e4:o2:1
# text = The lizard invariably perishes
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	lizard	lizard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	invariably	invariably	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	perishes	perish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **perish** | present | the lizard |  |  |  |  | invariably *property* | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tail may be shed and continue to wriggle while the lizard escapes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:30-snakes-and-lizards:e4:o3:1
# text = The tail may be shed and continue to wriggle while the lizard escapes
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	shed	shed	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	continue	continue	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	wriggle	wriggle	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	lizard	lizard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	escapes	escape	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shed** | may · passive |  | the tail |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: subject=Source |
| 2 | **continue** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn continue-55.3 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **wriggle** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn body\_internal\_motion-49.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **escape** | present | the lizard |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The predator is thereby hypnotised and forgets the lizard

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:30-snakes-and-lizards:e4:o4:1
# text = The predator is thereby hypnotised and forgets the lizard
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	predator	predator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	hypnotised	hypnotis	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	forgets	forget	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	lizard	lizard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hypnotis** | present · passive |  | the predator |  |  |  | thereby *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **forget** | present |  | the lizard |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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: [Snakes and lizards, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/30-snakes-and-lizards/e3/)
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