---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Reading a dog's body language · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the significance of a dog's body becoming stiff and suddenly motionless? Exam question 1 of lesson 21 «Reading a dog's body language» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questi
---

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# Exam question 1 · Reading a dog's body language

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the significance of a dog's body becoming stiff and suddenly motionless?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** significance · **What happens:** follow, characteris, become · **To what, where:** significance

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 21 «Reading a dog's body language» of the everyday 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/everyday/21-reading-a-dog/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:21-reading-a-dog:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the significance of a dog's body becoming stiff and suddenly motionless?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	significance	significance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	's	's	PART	POS	_	13	case	_	_
15	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
16	becoming	become	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
17	stiff	stiff	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	xcomp	_	_
18	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
19	suddenly	suddenly	ADV	RB	_	20	advmod	_	_
20	motionless	motionless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | the significance of a dog's body |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **become** | gerund | the significance of a dog's body *not said here* |  |  |  |  | stiff *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It signifies that the dog is about to sleep

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:21-reading-a-dog:e1:o1:1
# text = It signifies that the dog is about to sleep
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	signifies	signify	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	about	about	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	advcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	sleep	sleep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **signify** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **is** | present | the dog |  |  |  |  | about *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **sleep** | to-infinitive | the dog *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It signifies an invitation to play

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:21-reading-a-dog:e1:o2:1
# text = It signifies an invitation to play
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	signifies	signify	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	invitation	invitation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	play	play	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **signify** | present | It | a invitation |  |  |  |  | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot invitation=Theme |
| 2 | **play** | to-infinitive |  | a invitation *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn performance-26.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It indicates that the dog wishes to be stroked at once

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:21-reading-a-dog:e1:o3:1
# text = It indicates that the dog wishes to be stroked at once
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	indicates	indicate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	wishes	wish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
8	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	stroked	stroke	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	ccomp	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **wish** | present | the dog |  |  |  |  |  | vn wish-62 «NP V for NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 3 | **stroke** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn touch-20-1 «NP V NP» |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It constitutes a warning that a bite may follow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:21-reading-a-dog:e1:o4:1
# text = It constitutes a warning that a bite may follow
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	constitutes	constitute	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	warning	warning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	bite	bite	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
8	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	follow	follow	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **constitute** | present | It | a warning |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme warning=Pivot |
| 2 | **follow** | may | a bite | a warning *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent warning=Theme |

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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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- ← previous: [Reading a dog's body language, test 19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/21-reading-a-dog/t19/)
- next →: [Reading a dog's body language, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/21-reading-a-dog/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Reading a dog's body language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/21-reading-a-dog/)