---
title: Determine the reason for which the age of a rattlesnake cannot be as… — The reptile house: snakes · tree and pragmatics
description: Determine the reason for which the age of a rattlesnake cannot be ascertained by counting the rings of its rattle. Exam question 4 of lesson 87 «The reptile house: snakes» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova
---

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# Exam question 4 · The reptile house: snakes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Determine the reason for which the age of a rattlesnake cannot be ascertained by counting the rings of its rattle.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, age · **What happens:** determine, not ascertain, count, rattle · **To what, where:** reason, age, rings

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 87 «The reptile house: snakes» 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:87-reptile-house-snakes:e4:1
# text = Determine the reason for which the age of a rattlesnake cannot be ascertained by counting the rings of its rattle.
1	Determine	determine	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	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	rattlesnake	rattlesnake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
13	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	ascertained	ascertain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
15	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	16	mark	_	_
16	counting	count	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	14	advcl	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	rings	ring	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	16	obj	_	_
19	of	of	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	21	nmod:poss	_	_
21	rattle	rattle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **ascertain** | can · passive |  | the age of a rattlesnake |  |  |  | for the reason | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: subject=Theme for which=Beneficiary |
| 3 | **count** | gerund |  | the rings of age's rattle |  |  |  |  | vn multiply-108 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ring=Theme |
| 4 | **rattle** |  | age |  |  |  |  |  | nom rattle «event intransitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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 -->
Rattlesnakes possess no rings

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:87-reptile-house-snakes:e4:o1:1
# text = Rattlesnakes possess no rings
1	Rattlesnakes	rattlesnake	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	possess	possess	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	rings	ring	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present | Rattlesnakes | no rings |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot ring=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A ring is added at each shedding, more than once a year, and rings break off

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:87-reptile-house-snakes:e4:o2:1
# text = A ring is added at each shedding, more than once a year, and rings break off
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	added	add	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	shedding	shedding	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	amod	_	_
10	than	than	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	13	advmod	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
15	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
16	rings	ring	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	nsubj	_	_
17	break	break	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
18	off	off	ADP	RP	_	17	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **add** *speech: assert* | present · passive |  | a ring |  | each shedding |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **break off** | present | rings |  |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The rings are removed by the keepers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:87-reptile-house-snakes:e4:o3:1
# text = The rings are removed by the keepers
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rings	ring	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	removed	remove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	keepers	keeper	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present · passive | the keepers | the rings |  |  |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Rings are added once per decade

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:87-reptile-house-snakes:e4:o4:1
# text = Rings are added once per decade
1	Rings	ring	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	added	add	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	3	advmod	_	_
5	per	per	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	decade	decade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **add** *speech: assert* | present · passive |  | Rings |  |  | decade | once *property* | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: subject=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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