---
title: Identify the principal reason why the hypothesis that the Elephant o… — The real animals of the Just So Storie… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason why the hypothesis that the Elephant obtained its trunk through stretching by a crocodile is erroneous. Exam question 2 of lesson 404 «The real animals of the Just So Stories: the whale, camel, rhino, leopard, elephant, kangaroo, armadillo and crab» of the biology cours
---

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# Exam question 2 · The real animals of the Just So Stories: the whale, camel,…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason why the hypothesis that the Elephant obtained its trunk through stretching by a crocodile is erroneous.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, hypothesis · **What happens:** identify, obtain, stretch, be · **To what, where:** principal reason, trunk

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 404 «The real animals of the Just So Stories: the whale, camel, rhino, leopard, elephant, kangaroo, armadillo and crab» 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/404-the-real-animals-of-the-just-so-stories-whale-camel-rhino-leopard-elephant-kangaroo-armadillo-crab/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:404-the-real-animals-of-the-just-so-stories-whale-camel-rhino-leopard-elephant-kangaroo-armadillo-crab:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason why the hypothesis that the Elephant obtained its trunk through stretching by a crocodile is erroneous.
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	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	hypothesis	hypothesis	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	Elephant	Elephant	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	_
11	obtained	obtain	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl	_	_
12	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	trunk	trunk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	through	through	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
15	stretching	stretch	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	20	advcl	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	crocodile	crocodile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
19	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	20	cop	_	_
20	erroneous	erroneous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **obtain** | past | the hypothesis | hypothesis's trunk |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset trunk=Theme |
| 3 | **stretch** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | by a crocodile | vn bend-45.2 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 4 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | erroneous *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 nasal tissue of elephants contains bone and cannot be stretched

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:404-the-real-animals-of-the-just-so-stories-whale-camel-rhino-leopard-elephant-kangaroo-armadillo-crab:e2:o1:1
# text = The nasal tissue of elephants contains bone and cannot be stretched
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	nasal	nasal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	tissue	tissue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	elephants	elephant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
6	contains	contain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	bone	bone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
9	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
11	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	stretched	stretch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contain** | present | the nasal tissue of elephants | bone |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot bone=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **stretch** | can · passive | the nasal tissue of elephants *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn bend-45.2 «NP.patient V» |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Crocodiles are incapable of grasping the nose of any animal larger than a goat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:404-the-real-animals-of-the-just-so-stories-whale-camel-rhino-leopard-elephant-kangaroo-armadillo-crab:e2:o2:1
# text = Crocodiles are incapable of grasping the nose of any animal larger than a goat
1	Crocodiles	crocodile	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	incapable	incapable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	grasping	grasp	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	nose	nose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	10	det	_	_
10	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	larger	large	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	amod	_	_
12	than	than	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	goat	goat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Crocodiles |  |  |  |  | incapable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **grasp** | gerund | Crocodiles *not said here* | the nose of any animal |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer nose=Stimulus |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bodily changes acquired during a lifetime are not inherited by offspring

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:404-the-real-animals-of-the-just-so-stories-whale-camel-rhino-leopard-elephant-kangaroo-armadillo-crab:e2:o3:1
# text = Bodily changes acquired during a lifetime are not inherited by offspring
1	Bodily	bodily	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	changes	change	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	acquired	acquire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	during	during	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	lifetime	lifetime	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	inherited	inherit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	offspring	offspring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **acquire** | participle |  | Bodily changes *not said here* |  |  | during a lifetime |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 2 | **not** **inherit** | present · passive | offspring | Bodily changes |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Elephant possessed a trunk before crocodiles came into existence

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:404-the-real-animals-of-the-just-so-stories-whale-camel-rhino-leopard-elephant-kangaroo-armadillo-crab:e2:o4:1
# text = The Elephant possessed a trunk before crocodiles came into existence
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Elephant	Elephant	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	possessed	possess	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	trunk	trunk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	crocodiles	crocodile	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
9	into	into	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	existence	existence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | past | the Elephant | a trunk |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot trunk=Theme |
| 2 | **come** | past | crocodiles |  |  | existence |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme into existence=Initial\_Location |

<!-- 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 -->

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