---
title: A fox comes near a burrowing owl's hole and hears a rattlesnake hiss… — Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle ow… · tree and pragmatics
description: A fox comes near a burrowing owl's hole and hears a rattlesnake hiss. What is most likely really happening? Test 6 of lesson 301 «Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and burrowing owls» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the ques
---

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# Test 6 · Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and bur…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A fox comes near a burrowing owl's hole and hears a rattlesnake hiss. What is most likely really happening?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** fox · **What happens:** come, burrow, hear, be · **To what, where:** hole, rattlesnake hiss

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 of lesson 301 «Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and burrowing owls» 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/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/#t6).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A fox comes near a burrowing owl's hole and hears a rattlesnake hiss.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t6:1
# text = A fox comes near a burrowing owl's hole and hears a rattlesnake hiss.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	comes	come	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	near	near	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	burrowing	burrow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	amod	_	_
7	owl	owl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	hole	hole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	hears	hear	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	rattlesnake	rattlesnake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	hiss	hiss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | present | a fox |  |  | a burrowing owl's hole |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme near hole=Location |
| 2 | **burrow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn rummage-35.5 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **hear** | present | a fox *not said here* | a rattlesnake hiss |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer hiss=Stimulus |

<!-- .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 most likely really happening?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t6:2
# text = What is most likely really happening?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	4	advmod	_	_
4	likely	likely	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	really	really	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	happening	happen	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | happen, likely *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The owl is calling its parents

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t6:o1:1
# text = The owl is calling its parents
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	owl	owl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	calling	call	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	parents	parent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | present · progressive | the owl |  | owl's parents |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent parent=Recipient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A snake has eaten all the owls and is now living in their burrow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t6:o2:1
# text = A snake has eaten all the owls and is now living in their burrow
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	eaten	eat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	7	det:predet	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	owls	owl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
10	now	now	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	11	advmod	_	_
11	living	live	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	conj	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	burrow	burrow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** | present · perfect · passive |  | a snake |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **live** | present · progressive |  |  |  | owls's burrow | now |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in burrow=Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The owl chicks are hissing like a snake

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t6:o3:1
# text = The owl chicks are hissing like a snake
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	owl	owl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	chicks	chick	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	hissing	hiss	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
6	like	like	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hiss** | present · progressive | the owl chicks |  |  |  |  | like a snake | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fox is hearing its own echo

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t6:o4:1
# text = The fox is hearing its own echo
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	hearing	hear	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	echo	echo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hear** | present · progressive | the fox | fox's own echo |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer echo=Stimulus |

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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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