---
title: Ascertain the function of the cuttlebone within the living cuttlefish. — Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the function of the cuttlebone within the living cuttlefish. Exam question 3 of lesson 39 «Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish» 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 · Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the function of the cuttlebone within the living cuttlefish.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain · **To what, where:** function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 39 «Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish» 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/39-octopuses-squid-and-cuttlefish/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:39-octopuses-squid-and-cuttlefish:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the function of the cuttlebone within the living cuttlefish.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	cuttlebone	cuttlebone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	within	within	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	living	living	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	cuttlefish	cuttlefish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	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 function of the cuttlebone |  |  |  | within the living cuttlefish | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The digestion of shellfish

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:39-octopuses-squid-and-cuttlefish:e3:o1:1
# text = The digestion of shellfish
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	digestion	digestion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	shellfish	shellfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **digest** |  |  | shellfish |  |  |  |  | nom digestion «process transitive»: of=patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The regulation of buoyancy by gas and liquid

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:39-octopuses-squid-and-cuttlefish:e3:o2:1
# text = The regulation of buoyancy by gas and liquid
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	regulation	regulation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	buoyancy	buoyancy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	liquid	liquid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **regulate** |  | gas and liquid | buoyancy |  |  |  |  | nom regulation «communication transitive»: of=patient by=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The defence against predators by stinging

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:39-octopuses-squid-and-cuttlefish:e3:o3:1
# text = The defence against predators by stinging
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	defence	defence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	against	against	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	stinging	sting	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sting** | gerund | the defence against predators *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The production of ink

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:39-octopuses-squid-and-cuttlefish:e3:o4:1
# text = The production of ink
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	production	production	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	ink	ink	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **produce** |  |  | ink |  |  |  |  | nom production «act 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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