---
title: Elephants: the trunk and everything it does — how Mova does on the tests · Biology
description: Lesson 21 of the biology course of Mova's primary school: 5 of 12 tests right, exam 0 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Elephants: the trunk and everything it does

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**Tests:** 5 of 12 right · **Exam:** 0 of 4 right · **Kind:** plain · **Understood:** 12 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 21 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/).

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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/21-elephants-the-trunk/).

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### Test 1 · right ✓ {#t1}

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in the cartoon the elephant drinks thru its trunk like a straw lol. true?

- **1.** Yes, but only baby elephants do it — no support
- **2.** No, it fills the trunk and squirts the water into its mouth — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **3.** No, elephants never use their trunk for water — score 6
- **4.** Yes, the trunk is a straw down to its tummy — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 21, line 1: «An elephant has one trunk, two ears, four legs, two eyes and one heart, but the trunk is the part that does almost everything: it is a nose, a hand, a hose, a…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «one trunk» (+4); the same doer «elephant» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t1/)

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### Test 2 · wrong ✗ {#t2}

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Count them: how many trunks, ears and legs does one elephant have altogether?

- **1.** 5: one trunk, two ears and two legs — no support
- **2.** 6: one trunk, one ear and four legs — no support
- **3.** 8: two trunks, two ears and four legs — **← Mova's choice** · score 5
- **4.** 7: one trunk, two ears and four legs — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 9, line 15: «Crabs walk sideways because their leg joints bend best that way, though many can also walk slowly forwards, have 10 legs counting the 2 claws, and grow by moul…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «10 legs» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/t2/)

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### Test 3 · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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What would happen if an elephant had a short nose like a horse but kept its short neck and heavy head?

- **1.** It would eat more easily than before — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **2.** It would grow a longer tail to help — score 2
- **3.** It would struggle to reach food and water on the ground — **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **4.** Nothing, the trunk is only for smelling — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 21, line 14: «An elephant eats around 150 kilograms of plants a day and spends up to 16 to 18 hours a day eating, because plants give little goodness in each mouthful.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «eat» (+2); the same doer «elephant» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t3/)

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### Test 4 · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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My mate reckons the trunk is full of bones like a finger. Is he right?

- **1.** Yes, it has one bone like a long finger — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **2.** Yes, it has about 100 small bones — score 8
- **3.** No, it is all muscle with no bones at all — **✓ the right answer** · score 3
- **4.** No, it is hollow and filled only with air — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 21, line 7: «A trunk has no bones but tens of thousands of muscle bundles, while your whole body has about 600 muscles.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «bones» (+4); the same doer «trunk» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 3, scored 3. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t4/)

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### Test 5 · right ✓ {#t5}

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An Asian elephant tries to pick up a peanut. How is it different from an African elephant?

- **1.** It has one finger-like tip, so it often curls the trunk round things — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 16
- **2.** It has three tips, so it is much quicker — score 8
- **3.** It cannot pick up anything small at all — score 2
- **4.** It uses its tusks instead of its trunk — score 7

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 1 with score 16, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 21, line 8: «An African elephant has two finger-like tips at the end of its trunk, and an Asian elephant has one, so it often curls its trunk round things to pick them up.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «trunk» (+4); the same action «curl» (+3); the same doer «elephant» (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t5/)

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### Test 6 · right ✓ {#t6}

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Why might a zoo elephant splash mud over itself even though it isn't dirty?

- **1.** It is hiding from the zookeeper — no support
- **2.** Its skin is so thick and tough that it feels nothing anyway — no support
- **3.** It needs the mud to make its tusks grow — no support
- **4.** Mud and dust protect its skin and the wrinkles hold water to cool it — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 21, line 10: «Elephants throw dust and mud over their backs, which protects their sensitive skin from sunburn and biting insects, and the deep wrinkles of their skin hold wa…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «hold» (+3); the same doer «deep wrinkles» (+2); the same thing acted on «water» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t6/)

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### Test 7 · wrong ✗ {#t7}

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oi why's the elephant just standing there sniffing the air like a weirdo

- **1.** It's checking if it's going to snow — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** It's trying to sneeze on the crowd — no support
- **3.** It's smelling for water or other elephants far away — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** It can't see a thing, so it's smelling for the keeper with the food — 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/t7/)

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### Test 8 · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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Which is true about the elephant's sense of smell?

- **1.** Elephants have more smell genes than dogs — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Dogs can smell water further away than any elephant — no support
- **3.** Elephants can hardly smell anything — no support
- **4.** Elephants smell only with their mouths — **← Mova's choice** · score 1

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 21, line 9: «An adult elephant can hold about 8 litres of water in its trunk and then blows it into its mouth; it does not drink through it like a straw, and it drinks well…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same circumstance (+2); the same doer «elephant» (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-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/21-elephants-the-trunk/t8/)

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### Test 9 · right ✓ {#t9}

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A zookeeper hears a rumble too low for people to notice, and the other elephants turn. How did they get the message?

- **1.** They saw the keeper point at it — no support
- **2.** They read the first elephant's ears — score 2
- **3.** They smelled the rumble in the air — no support
- **4.** They felt the rumble through the ground with their feet — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 4 with score 7, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 21, line 18: «The trumpet call is air blasted out through the trunk; elephants also make deep rumbles other elephants feel through their feet.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «feel» (+4); the same circumstance (+2); the same doer «deep rumbles» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t9/)

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### Test 10 · right ✓ {#t10}

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In a cartoon an elephant is scared of a tiny mouse and climbs a chair. What is the real story?

- **1.** Every elephant faints when it sees a mouse — no support
- **2.** Elephants are afraid only of grey mice — score 3
- **3.** Elephants run from mice because mice climb up the trunk — no support
- **4.** Elephants may startle at small things but are not specially afraid of mice — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 7, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 21, line 16: «Elephants may jump at small sudden things, but the story that they are specially afraid of mice is a myth.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «elephants» (+3); the same action «jump» (+2); the same place «small sudden things» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t10/)

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### Test 11 · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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Why might a calf kneel down and drink with its mouth instead of its trunk?

- **1.** Calf trunks only work at night — no support
- **2.** Its mother forbids it to use the trunk — **← Mova's choice** · score 3
- **3.** It has not yet learned to drink with the trunk — **✓ the right answer** · score 3
- **4.** Calves have no nostrils inside their trunk yet — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 21, line 11: «Elephants can swim and use the trunk as a snorkel, keeping only its tip above the water.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «use» (+2); the same thing acted on «trunk» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 3, scored 3. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t11/)

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### Test 12 · wrong ✗ {#t12}

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Why does an elephant spend 16 to 18 hours a day eating?

- **1.** It is bored and has nothing else to do — no support
- **2.** It eats only one tiny leaf at a time, picked up with its tusks — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** It stores the food in its trunk for winter — score 3
- **4.** It needs a huge amount of plant food, and plants are not very nourishing — **✓ the right answer** · score 4

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**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 21, line 14: «An elephant eats around 150 kilograms of plants a day and spends up to 16 to 18 hours a day eating, because plants give little goodness in each mouthful.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «eat» (+3); the same doer «elephant» (+2). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/t12/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1}

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Identify the anatomical structures from whose union the proboscis of the elephant is understood to have arisen.

- **1.** The cheeks and the chin — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** The nose and the lower jaw — no support
- **3.** The upper lip and the tongue — no support
- **4.** The nose and the upper lip — **✓ 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/e1/)

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

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the manner in which an adult elephant ingests water?

- **1.** Water is lapped with the tongue in the manner of a dog — no support
- **2.** Water is absorbed through the skin of the feet — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** Water passes directly through the trunk into the stomach — score 4
- **4.** Water is drawn into the trunk and subsequently expelled into the mouth — **✓ the right answer** · score 4

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 11, line 18: «Wetlands soak up flood water like giant sponges and let it out slowly, and reed roots trap mud and clean the water.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «soak up» (+2); the same thing acted on «flood water» (+2). The right option, 4, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/21-elephants-the-trunk/e2/)

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

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Ascertain the number of bones contained within the trunk of an adult African elephant.

- **1.** Precisely one — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Approximately forty — no support
- **3.** Approximately six hundred — no support
- **4.** None whatsoever — **✓ 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/e3/)

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

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Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the application of dust by an elephant to its own dorsum.

- **1.** It serves to increase the animal's body mass — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** It affords protection against solar radiation and biting insects — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** It promotes the growth of the tusks — no support
- **4.** It is undertaken solely for purposes of camouflage against the keeper — 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/21-elephants-the-trunk/e4/)

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- ← previous: [20. Leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and the house cat](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/20-leopards-jaguars-cheetahs-and-the-house-cat/)
- next →: [22. Elephants: families, tusks, ears and memory](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/22-elephants-families-tusks-ears-memory/)
- ↑ back to [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/)