--- title: Ascertain the principal purpose for which chameleons alter their col… — More record-breakers and oddballs: slo… · tree and pragmatics description: Ascertain the principal purpose for which chameleons alter their colouring. Exam question 4 of lesson 45 «More record-breakers and oddballs: sloth, narwhal, chameleon, electric eel, giraffe» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and o --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe/e4/) [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/) / [More record-breakers and oddballs: slo…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · More record-breakers and oddballs: sloth, narwhal, chamele… Ascertain the principal purpose for which chameleons alter their colouring. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, chameleons · **What happens:** ascertain, alter · **To what, where:** principal purpose, colouring This is exam question 4 of lesson 45 «More record-breakers and oddballs: sloth, narwhal, chameleon, electric eel, giraffe» 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/45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe:e4:1 # text = Ascertain the principal purpose for which chameleons alter their colouring. 1 Ascertain ascertain 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 purpose purpose NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obj _ _ 5 for for ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 8 obl _ _ 7 chameleons chameleon NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 nsubj _ _ 8 alter alter VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 acl:relcl _ _ 9 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 10 nmod:poss _ _ 10 colouring colouring NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 11 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal purpose | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent purpose=Topic | | 2 | **alter** | present | chameleons | chameleons's colouring | | | | for the principal purpose | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent colouring=Patient | 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} The exact imitation of any background upon which they rest ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe:e4:o1:1 # text = The exact imitation of any background upon which they rest 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 exact exact ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 amod _ _ 3 imitation imitation NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 4 of of ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 6 det _ _ 6 background background NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nmod _ _ 7 upon upon ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 8 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 10 obl _ _ 9 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 10 nsubj _ _ 10 rest rest VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 acl:relcl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **rest** | present | they | | | any background | | | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme upon which=Location | | 2 | **imitate** | | | any background | | | | | nom imitation «cognition transitive»: of=patient | ### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2} Signalling to other chameleons and regulating body temperature ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe:e4:o2:1 # text = Signalling to other chameleons and regulating body temperature 1 Signalling signall VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 2 to to ADP IN _ 4 case _ _ 3 other other ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 chameleons chameleon NOUN NNS Number=Plur 1 obl _ _ 5 and and CCONJ CC _ 6 cc _ _ 6 regulating regulate VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 1 conj _ _ 7 body body NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 compound _ _ 8 temperature temperature NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **signall** | gerund | | | | | | to other chameleons | tree rules | | 2 | **regulate** | gerund | | body temperature | | | | | tree rules | ### Option 3 {#o3} The repair of damaged skin ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe:e4:o3:1 # text = The repair of damaged skin 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 repair repair NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 4 damaged damage VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 5 amod _ _ 5 skin skin NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **damage** | participle | | | | | | | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **repair** | | | damaged skin | | | | | nom repair «act transitive»: of=patient | ### Option 4 {#o4} The attraction of insects to their tongue ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe:e4:o4:1 # text = The attraction of insects to their tongue 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 attraction attraction NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 4 case _ _ 4 insects insect NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nmod _ _ 5 to to ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 7 nmod:poss _ _ 7 tongue tongue NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **attract** | | | insects | | | | to insects's tongue | nom attraction «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient to=obl | **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. - ← previous: [More record-breakers and oddballs: slo…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe/e3/) - next →: [Food chains: sun, plants, plant-eaters…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/46-food-chains/t1/) - ↑ back to [More record-breakers and oddballs: sloth, narwhal, chameleon, electric eel, giraffe](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/45-sloth-narwhal-chameleon-eel-giraffe/)