---
title: It is given that the pale form of the peppered moth declined in indu… — How animals hide: camouflage and mimicry · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that the pale form of the peppered moth declined in industrial towns. Ascertain the reason. Exam question 4 of lesson 51 «How animals hide: camouflage and mimicry» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; 
---

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# Exam question 4 · How animals hide: camouflage and mimicry

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that the pale form of the peppered moth declined in industrial towns. Ascertain the reason.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** give, pepper, decline, form, ascertain · **To what, where:** It, peppered moth, reason

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 51 «How animals hide: camouflage and mimicry» 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/51-how-animals-hide/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that the pale form of the peppered moth declined in industrial towns.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:51-how-animals-hide:e4:1
# text = It is given that the pale form of the peppered moth declined in industrial towns.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	pale	pale	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	xcomp	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	peppered	pepper	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	moth	moth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
12	declined	decline	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	acl	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	industrial	industrial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	towns	town	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **pepper** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **decline** | participle |  | the peppered moth *not said here* |  |  |  | in industrial towns | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.patient V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient in town=Attribute |
| 4 | **form** |  |  | the peppered moth |  |  |  |  | nom form «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Ascertain the reason.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:51-how-animals-hide:e4:2
# text = Ascertain the reason.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pale moths migrated to rural districts

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:51-how-animals-hide:e4:o1:1
# text = Pale moths migrated to rural districts
1	Pale	pale	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	migrated	migrate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	rural	rural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	districts	district	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **migrate** | participle |  | Pale moths *not said here* |  |  |  | to rural districts | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dark moths consumed the pale moths

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:51-how-animals-hide:e4:o2:1
# text = Dark moths consumed the pale moths
1	Dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	consumed	consume	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	pale	pale	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | past | Dark moths | the pale moths |  |  |  |  | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent moth=Asset |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Soot-darkened bark rendered pale moths conspicuous to birds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:51-how-animals-hide:e4:o3:1
# text = Soot-darkened bark rendered pale moths conspicuous to birds
1	Soot	soot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	darkened	darken	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
4	bark	bark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	rendered	render	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	pale	pale	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	_
8	conspicuous	conspicuous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **darken** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **render** | past | darkened bark | pale moths |  |  |  | conspicuous *property* | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent moth=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Industrial smoke dyed the wings of the pale moths a darker shade

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:51-how-animals-hide:e4:o4:1
# text = Industrial smoke dyed the wings of the pale moths a darker shade
1	Industrial	industrial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	dyed	dye	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	wings	wing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	pale	pale	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	darker	dark	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	12	amod	_	_
12	shade	shade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dye** | past | Industrial smoke | the wings of the pale moths |  |  |  |  | vn coloring-24 «NP V NP ADJP»: agent=Agent wing=Patient shade=Result |

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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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