---
title: Identify the principal flaw disclosed in the celebrated case of the… — How scientists test animal minds: the… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal flaw disclosed in the celebrated case of the horse Clever Hans. Exam question 1 of lesson 389 «How scientists test animal minds: the mirror test, puzzle boxes and Clever Hans» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questi
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/e1/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/) / [How scientists test animal minds: the…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · How scientists test animal minds: the mirror test, puzzle…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal flaw disclosed in the celebrated case of the horse Clever Hans.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, disclose, celebrate · **To what, where:** principal flaw, celebrated case

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 389 «How scientists test animal minds: the mirror test, puzzle boxes and Clever Hans» 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/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal flaw disclosed in the celebrated case of the horse Clever Hans.
1	Identify	identify	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	flaw	flaw	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	disclosed	disclose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	celebrated	celebrate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	case	case	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	Clever	Clever	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	appos	_	_
14	Hans	Hans	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal flaw |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent flaw=Theme |
| 2 | **disclose** | participle |  | the principal flaw *not said here* |  | the celebrated case of the horse |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 3 | **celebrate** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 questions were posed in a foreign language which the horse did not know

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans:e1:o1:1
# text = The questions were posed in a foreign language which the horse did not know
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	questions	question	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	posed	pose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	foreign	foreign	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	obj	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
12	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
14	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pose** | past · passive |  | the questions |  | a foreign language |  |  | vn masquerade-29.6-2 «NP V NP»: subject=Attribute |
| 2 | **not** **know** | past · do-support | the horse | a foreign language |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer which=Stimulus |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The animal responded to involuntary cues from the persons present

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans:e1:o2:1
# text = The animal responded to involuntary cues from the persons present
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
3	responded	respond	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	involuntary	involuntary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	cues	cue	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
10	present	present	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **respond** *speech: other* | participle |  | the animal *not said here* |  |  |  | to involuntary cues from the persons | vn respond-113 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent to cue=Theme |
| 2 | **present** | present | the animal |  |  |  |  |  | vn fulfilling-13.4.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The horse was unable to hear the questions

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans:e1:o3:1
# text = The horse was unable to hear the questions
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	unable	unable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	hear	hear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	questions	question	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the horse |  |  |  |  | unable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **hear** | to-infinitive | the horse *not said here* | the questions |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer question=Stimulus |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The horse was in fact a different animal

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans:e1:o4:1
# text = The horse was in fact a different animal
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	fact	fact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	different	different	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	appos	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the horse |  |  | fact |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [How scientists test animal minds: the…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/t11/)
- next →: [How scientists test animal minds: the…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/e2/)
- ↑ back to [How scientists test animal minds: the mirror test, puzzle boxes and Clever Hans](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/)