---
title: Which characteristic of the Sea Cow is explained as the reason for i… — The Jungle Book, The White Seal, part… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which characteristic of the Sea Cow is explained as the reason for its silence? Exam question 3 of lesson 619 «The Jungle Book, The White Seal, part 20: Kotick finds a safe island and wins a fight for the seals» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of
---

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# Exam question 3 · The Jungle Book, The White Seal, part 20: Kotick finds a s…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which characteristic of the Sea Cow is explained as the reason for its silence?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** characteristic · **What happens:** explain, silence · **To what, where:** characteristic

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 619 «The Jungle Book, The White Seal, part 20: Kotick finds a safe island and wins a fight for the seals» of the books 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/books/619-pg236-part20/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:619-pg236-part20:e3:1
# text = Which characteristic of the Sea Cow is explained as the reason for its silence?
1	Which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	2	det	_	_
2	characteristic	characteristic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	Sea	Sea	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	Cow	cow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	explained	explain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
12	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	silence	silence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **explain** *speech: assert* | present · passive |  | which characteristic of the Sea Cow |  |  |  | as the reason for characteristic's silence | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic |
| 2 | **silence** |  | characteristic |  |  |  |  |  | nom silence «state transitive»: 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The heavy coat of blubber covering its entire body, which dampens every sound it could otherwise make in the deep water near the coast

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:619-pg236-part20:e3:o1:1
# text = The heavy coat of blubber covering its entire body, which dampens every sound it could otherwise make in the deep water near the coast
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	coat	coat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	blubber	blubber	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	covering	cover	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
8	entire	entire	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
12	dampens	dampen	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
13	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	14	det	_	_
14	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	_
16	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	18	aux	_	_
17	otherwise	otherwise	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
18	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
21	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	22	amod	_	_
22	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
23	near	near	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
24	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	25	det	_	_
25	coast	coast	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cover** | gerund | the heavy coat of blubber *not said here* | coat's entire body |  |  |  |  | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme body=Destination |
| 2 | **dampen** | present | coat's entire body | every sound |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **make** | could | the heavy coat of blubber |  |  | the deep water |  | near the coast; otherwise *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.material V NP»: agent=Material |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The narrow shape of its head and jaw, which makes its mouth too small to make any sound, and its tail that never moves

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:619-pg236-part20:e3:o2:1
# text = The narrow shape of its head and jaw, which makes its mouth too small to make any sound, and its tail that never moves
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	narrow	narrow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	jaw	jaw	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
11	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	mouth	mouth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	too	too	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	advcl	_	_
18	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	19	det	_	_
19	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	23	punct	_	_
21	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	23	cc	_	_
22	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	23	nmod:poss	_	_
23	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
24	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	26	nsubj	_	_
25	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	26	advmod	_	_
26	moves	move	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	23	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | the narrow shape of shape's head and jaw | shape's mouth |  |  |  | shape's tail *obl* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset mouth=Product |
| 2 | **make** | to-infinitive | the narrow shape of shape's head and jaw *not said here* | any sound |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset sound=Product |
| 3 | **not** **move** | present | shape's tail |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bony structure of its neck, which contains six bones where seven were expected

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:619-pg236-part20:e3:o3:1
# text = The bony structure of its neck, which contains six bones where seven were expected
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	bony	bony	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	structure	structure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	neck	neck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	contains	contain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	11	nummod	_	_
11	bones	bone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
12	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	15	advmod	_	_
13	seven	seven	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
14	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contain** | present | the bony structure of structure's neck | six bones |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot bone=Theme |
| 2 | **expect** | past · passive |  | seven |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The soft cartilage of its throat, which holds no bones at all for speech

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:619-pg236-part20:e3:o4:1
# text = The soft cartilage of its throat, which holds no bones at all for speech
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	cartilage	cartilage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	throat	throat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	holds	hold	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	11	det	_	_
11	bones	bone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
12	at	at	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	11	nmod	_	_
14	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | present | the soft cartilage of cartilage's throat | no bones |  | all |  | for speech | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent bone=Theme at all=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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