---
title: The Amazon canopy: howlers, harpy eagles, toucans, dart frogs and sl… — how Mova does on the tests · Biology
description: Lesson 156 of the biology course of Mova's primary school: 5 of 11 tests right, exam 1 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# The Amazon canopy: howlers, harpy eagles, toucans, dart frogs and sloth gardens

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**Tests:** 5 of 11 right · **Exam:** 1 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 9 of 15 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 156 of the biology course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/).

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Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · right ✓ {#t1}

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A cartoon sloth is so lazy it falls asleep mid-sentence. What is the real reason sloths are slow?

- **1.** They are just lazy — no support
- **2.** They want to look funny and harmless so that jaguars and eagles leave them alone — no support
- **3.** Their leafy food gives very little energy, so moving slowly saves it — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **4.** They are always ill — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 108, line 1: «A two-toed sloth hangs upside down from a branch and does not seem to move for an hour; it is not lazy but thrifty, because its leaves give so little energy th…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «move» (+5); the same property (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · right ✓ {#t2}

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«sloth's coming down the tree, he's gonna have a wee walk» What is it really doing?

- **1.** Hunting for insects — no support
- **2.** Climbing down to poo, about once a week — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **3.** Going for a swim every day — no support
- **4.** Looking for a new tree to live in, as they move every night — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 2 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 142, line 9: «A sloth climbs down about once a week to go to the toilet on the ground; scientists are not sure why, and it is the most dangerous time of its week.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «climb down» (+3); the same property (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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A spider monkey hangs by its tail and picks fruit with both hands. How many hands and tails is it using?

- **1.** 1 hand and 2 tails — **← Mova's choice** · score 7
- **2.** 4 hands and 1 tail — score 7
- **3.** 2 hands and no tail — score 5
- **4.** 2 hands and 1 tail — **✓ the right answer** · score 7

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 139, line 15: «Kangaroos hop on big back legs whose tendons spring back like rubber bands, and they use their thick tail for balance and as a fifth leg when moving slowly, an…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «use» (+4); a different doer (counts against) (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). The right option, 4, scored 7. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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A troop of 4 spider monkeys hangs from a branch, each by its tail only. How many tails are holding on?

- **1.** 16 — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** 2 — no support
- **3.** 8 — no support
- **4.** 4 — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t5}

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«zoo dart frog's poisonous, don't touch it!» What is right?

- **1.** Yes, they make poison from sunlight — score 5
- **2.** Yes, zoo frogs are the most poisonous of all, because they are fed so well every day — **← Mova's choice** · score 7
- **3.** Zoo frogs fed other food are not poisonous, though you still should not grab them — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** No dart frog is ever poisonous — score 7

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 89, line 6: «The golden poison frog of Colombia is one of the most poisonous animals in the world, and some people in Colombia wiped darts on frogs' backs for hunting, whic…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3); the same doer «golden poison frog» (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · right ✓ {#t6}

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«I saw a monkey hang by its tail in Africa» What would you say?

- **1.** Yes, but only monkeys from Africa and Asia can hang by their tails — score 6
- **2.** Probably not; only monkeys of the Americas have gripping tails — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **3.** Monkeys have no tails — score 7
- **4.** Yes, all monkeys do that — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 137, line 14: «No monkeys from Asia or Africa can hang by their tails; only some monkeys from Central and South America have gripping tails, and spider monkeys have bare, rid…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «grip» (+4); the same doer «monkeys» (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · right ✓ {#t7}

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What would happen if harpy eagles vanished from a forest?

- **1.** There could be more sloths and monkeys eating the leaves and fruit — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 1
- **2.** The forest would lose all its trees at once and turn into a desert — score 0
- **3.** Nothing at all would change — no support
- **4.** The howlers would stop roaring — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 1, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 155, line 7: «In the flooded forest fish like the tambaqui eat fallen fruit and nuts and spread the seeds, doing the job birds do on land.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «eat» (+1); the same thing acted on «fallen fruit» (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · right ✓ {#t8}

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«toucan's beak is a giant banana, they eat with their feet» What is right?

- **1.** The beak is made of hard wood — score 5
- **2.** Yes, the beak is filled with soft fruit like a bag it carries around — score 2
- **3.** The beak is light bone inside, and it flicks fruit into its throat — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **4.** Yes, toucans eat with their feet — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 7, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 156, line 4: «Cartoons show sloths as lazy jokers and toucans as cereal-box clowns; the real reasons are better: leaves give a sloth very little energy, and a toucan's huge…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3); the same doer «huge beak» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

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A whole bunch of macaws are licking a muddy cliff. Why?

- **1.** They are drinking rain water — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** They are lost and hungry for mud only — no support
- **3.** The clay gives them salt and may soak up poisons from seeds — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** They are polishing their beaks — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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Orchids grow on a branch high above the ground. How do they get water?

- **1.** Long roots grow all the way down the trunk to reach the soil below — no support
- **2.** They suck water from the tree like a vampire — **← Mova's choice** · score -2
- **3.** Their roots and leaves catch rain and fallen bits — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** They do not need water — score -4

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 with score -2, against -4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 67, line 14: «The large intestine soaks up water and salts from what is left, and its bacteria break down some of the fibre.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «soak up» (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1); the same thing acted on «water» (-2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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«only a few kinds of beetle, beetles are boring» What did canopy research show?

- **1.** A single tree can hold hundreds of kinds of beetles, many unnamed — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Beetles do not live in rainforests — score 3
- **3.** All beetles live on the ground — **← Mova's choice** · score 6
- **4.** Each tree has one beetle — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 125, line 9: «Meerkats eat beetles, grubs, spiders, lizards and scorpions; they bite off or avoid the stinger and can survive a little venom, and adults teach pups with dead…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «survive» (+4); the same doer «beetles» (+2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/t11/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · right ✓ {#e1}

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Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the vocalisations of the howler monkey.

- **1.** They are produced collectively to inform neighbouring troops of the group's position — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** They are produced solely during the hours of darkness — no support
- **3.** They are produced exclusively in response to hunger — no support
- **4.** They are inaudible beyond a distance of a few metres, being produced very softly and only to the mother — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2}

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Identify the principal reason for which the three-toed sloth descends from the canopy approximately once each week.

- **1.** To seek a mate upon the forest floor — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** To sleep within a burrow in the earth — no support
- **3.** To defecate upon the ground — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** To drink from the river below the tree — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e3}

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the source of the poison of wild poison dart frogs?

- **1.** It is absorbed from the water of the bromeliad — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** It is acquired from the leaves upon which the frogs rest, and soaked up through the skin — no support
- **3.** It is produced from the absorption of sunlight — no support
- **4.** It is derived from the ants and mites consumed by the frogs — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4}

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Ascertain the function of the gripping tail of the spider monkey.

- **1.** It serves exclusively for balance during leaping — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** It supports the full weight of the animal in the manner of a fifth hand — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** It is employed principally in the excavation of roots and in the digging of nests — no support
- **4.** It serves to repel insects — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/156-the-amazon-canopy/e4/)

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- ← previous: [155. The Amazon river: pink dolphins, flooded forest,…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/155-the-amazon-river/)
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