--- title: Why can a big python go weeks without eating when a tiny shrew must… — How animals hunt · tree and pragmatics description: Why can a big python go weeks without eating when a tiny shrew must eat every few hours? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 52 «How animals hunt» 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 right. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/52-how-animals-hunt/t8/) [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 animals hunt](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/52-how-animals-hunt/) / t8 # Test 8 · ★ · How animals hunt Why can a big python go weeks without eating when a tiny shrew must eat every few hours? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** big python, tiny shrew · **What happens:** go, eat This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 52 «How animals hunt» of the biology course of Mova's primary school. 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/52-how-animals-hunt/#t8). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:52-how-animals-hunt:t8:1 # text = Why can a big python go weeks without eating when a tiny shrew must eat every few hours? 1 Why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 6 advmod _ _ 2 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 6 aux _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 big big ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 nsubj _ _ 6 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 7 weeks week NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 obl:unmarked _ _ 8 without without SCONJ IN _ 9 mark _ _ 9 eating eat VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 6 advcl _ _ 10 when when SCONJ WRB _ 15 mark _ _ 11 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 12 tiny tiny ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 13 amod _ _ 13 shrew shrew NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 nsubj _ _ 14 must must AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 15 aux _ _ 15 eat eat VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 9 advcl _ _ 16 every every DET DT PronType=Tot 18 det _ _ 17 few few ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 18 amod _ _ 18 hours hour NOUN NNS Number=Plur 15 obl:unmarked _ SpaceAfter=No 19 ? ? PUNCT . _ 6 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | can | a big python | | | | week | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **eat** | gerund | a big python *not said here* | | | | | | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **eat** | must | a tiny shrew | | | | hour | | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | 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} Shrews have no stomach ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:52-how-animals-hunt:t8:o1:1 # text = Shrews have no stomach 1 Shrews shrew NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nsubj _ _ 2 have have VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 no no DET DT PronType=Neg 4 det _ _ 4 stomach stomach NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **have** | present | Shrews | no stomach | | | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent stomach=Patient | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2} Waiting still uses very little energy, while a shrew burns it fast ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:52-how-animals-hunt:t8:o2:1 # text = Waiting still uses very little energy, while a shrew burns it fast 1 Waiting wait VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 3 nsubj _ _ 2 still still ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 3 uses use VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 very very ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 5 little little ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 6 amod _ _ 6 energy energy NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 7 , , PUNCT , _ 11 punct _ _ 8 while while SCONJ IN _ 11 mark _ _ 9 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 shrew shrew NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 nsubj _ _ 11 burns burn VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 conj _ _ 12 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 obj _ _ 13 fast fast ADV RB Degree=Pos 11 advmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **wait** | gerund | | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **use** | present | | little energy | | | still | | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent energy=Patient | | 3 | **burn** | present | a shrew | energy | | | | fast *property* | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent it=Theme | ### Option 3 {#o3} Pythons eat sunlight like plants ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:52-how-animals-hunt:t8:o3:1 # text = Pythons eat sunlight like plants 1 Pythons python NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nsubj _ _ 2 eat eat VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 sunlight sunlight NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 4 like like ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 5 plants plant NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **eat** | present | Pythons | sunlight | | | | like plants | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sunlight=Patient | ### Option 4 {#o4} Pythons store spare food in their long tails, like a camel's hump ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:52-how-animals-hunt:t8:o4:1 # text = Pythons store spare food in their long tails, like a camel's hump 1 Pythons python NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nsubj _ _ 2 store store VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 spare spare ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 food food NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 6 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 8 nmod:poss _ _ 7 long long ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 tails tail NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 9 , , PUNCT , _ 14 punct _ _ 10 like like ADP IN _ 14 case _ _ 11 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 camel camel NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 13 's 's PART POS _ 12 case _ _ 14 hump hump NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **store** | present | Pythons | spare food | | Pythons's long tails | | like a camel's hump | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent food=Theme in tail=Location | **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: [How animals hunt, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/52-how-animals-hunt/t7/) - next →: [How animals hunt, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/52-how-animals-hunt/t9/) - ↑ back to [How animals hunt](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/52-how-animals-hunt/)