---
title: Identify the means by which the alligator snapping turtle secures it… — Turtles and tortoises · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the means by which the alligator snapping turtle secures its prey. Exam question 3 of lesson 31 «Turtles and tortoises» 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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# Exam question 3 · Turtles and tortoises

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the means by which the alligator snapping turtle secures its prey.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, the, alligator · **What happens:** identify, mean, snap, secure · **To what, where:** turtle, prey

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 31 «Turtles and tortoises» 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/31-turtles-and-tortoises/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:e3:1
# text = Identify the means by which the alligator snapping turtle secures its prey.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	alligator	alligator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
8	snapping	snap	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	turtle	turtle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
10	secures	secure	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
11	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **snap** | gerund | the alligator *not said here* | turtle |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location turtle=Theme |
| 4 | **secure** | present | the alligator | alligator's prey |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition prey=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The construction of nets

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:e3:o1:1
# text = The construction of nets
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	construction	construction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	nets	net	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **construct** |  |  | nets |  |  |  |  | nom construction «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A worm-shaped lure upon the tongue

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:e3:o2:1
# text = A worm-shaped lure upon the tongue
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
2	worm	worm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	shaped	shape	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	lure	lure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	tongue	tongue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shape** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pursuit at considerable speed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:e3:o3:1
# text = Pursuit at considerable speed
1	Pursuit	Pursuit	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	considerable	considerable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	speed	speed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The discharge of venom

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:e3:o4:1
# text = The discharge of venom
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	discharge	discharge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	venom	venom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **discharge** |  |  | venom |  |  |  |  | nom discharge «event 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.

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