---
title: Asking "is a tortoise leaving its shell like me leaving my skeleton?… — Wild animals and tall tales · tree and pragmatics
description: Asking "is a tortoise leaving its shell like me leaving my skeleton?" Why is that a good comparison? Test 2 · ★★ of lesson 8 «Wild animals and tall tales» of the myths course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong
---

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# Test 2 · ★★ · Wild animals and tall tales

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Asking "is a tortoise leaving its shell like me leaving my skeleton?" Why is that a good comparison?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Asking, tortoise · **What happens:** ask, be, leave · **To what, where:** tortoise, shell, skeleton, good comparison · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 · ★★ of lesson 8 «Wild animals and tall tales» of the myths 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/myths/8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Asking "is a tortoise leaving its shell like me leaving my skeleton?"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales:t2:1
# text = Asking "is a tortoise leaving its shell like me leaving my skeleton?"
1	Asking	ask	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	csubj	_	_
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	tortoise	tortoise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	leaving	leave	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	obl	_	_
11	leaving	leave	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	conj	_	_
12	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	skeleton	skeleton	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | Asking | a tortoise |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **leave** *in a quote* | gerund | a tortoise *not said here* | tortoise's shell |  |  |  | like me | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shell=Theme |
| 4 | **leave** *in a quote* | gerund | a tortoise *not said here* | my skeleton |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent skeleton=Theme |

<!-- .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:* Why is that a good comparison?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales:t2:2
# text = Why is that a good comparison?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	comparison	comparison	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | a good comparison |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because people could also step out of their skeletons

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales:t2:o1:1
# text = Because people could also step out of their skeletons
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	also	also	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	step	step	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	out	out	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	skeletons	skeleton	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **step out** | could | people | people's skeletons |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Initial\_Location skeleton=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because tortoises have no skeleton at all inside them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales:t2:o2:1
# text = Because tortoises have no skeleton at all inside them
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	tortoises	tortoise	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	advcl	_	_
4	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	5	det	_	_
5	skeleton	skeleton	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	0	root	_	_
8	inside	inside	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | tortoises | no skeleton |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent skeleton=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because the shell really is its ribs and backbone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales:t2:o3:1
# text = Because the shell really is its ribs and backbone
1	Because	because	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	really	really	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	ribs	rib	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	backbone	backbone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | shell's ribs and backbone |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because tortoise shells are made of a kind of human bone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:myths:8-wild-animals-and-tall-tales:t2:o4:1
# text = Because tortoise shells are made of a kind of human bone
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	tortoise	tortoise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	shells	shell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	human	human	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	bone	bone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present · passive |  | tortoise shells |  |  |  | of a kind of human bone | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |

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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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