---
title: Animal minds: what dogs and cats feel and understand (and do cats re… — how Mova does on the tests · Biology
description: Lesson 237 of the biology course of Mova's primary school: 7 of 12 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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# Animal minds: what dogs and cats feel and understand (and do cats really chase mice?)

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**Tests:** 7 of 12 right · **Exam:** 1 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★★ · **Understood:** 12 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 237 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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/).

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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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/).

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### Test 1 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t1}

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In Tom and Jerry, Tom chases Jerry round the house in every episode. What would a real pet cat more likely do?

- **1.** Wait quietly and pounce, or not bother if it is well fed — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 12
- **2.** Set a trap with cheese — no support
- **3.** Make friends and eat cheese together — no support
- **4.** Chase the mouse round the house for hours with a frying pan — score 9

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 1 with score 12, against 9 for the next best. Its support: lesson 20, line 17: «Pet cats are still hunters even when well fed, because hunting is an instinct, something they are born with, from their wild ancestors, and they catch many bir…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «pet cats» (+5); it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «feed» (+3); the same property (+3). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★★ · wrong ✗ {#t2}

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A cartoon mouse risks a trap for a big wedge of cheese. What would a real mouse go for first?

- **1.** A lump of salt — no support
- **2.** Nothing, mice do not eat — **← Mova's choice** · score 3
- **3.** Peanut butter or seeds — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** The cheese, every time — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 118, line 3: «A real mouse is tiny, about 20 grams, as heavy as four sugar cubes, runs on four legs, lives in an untidy nest of fluff inside the wall, and would choose peanu…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same doer «real mouse» (+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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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«my dog chewed my shoe and looked SO guilty, he knows he was bad» What is the science?

- **1.** The look is probably to calm you down, not guilt about the shoe — **✓ the right answer** · score 2
- **2.** He wants another shoe — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **3.** Dogs never make faces — score 7
- **4.** Yes, he feels sorry about that exact shoe and remembers chewing it — score 8

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 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 226, line 16: «Dogs are social animals and need company; a dog left chained alone all day becomes lonely and unhappy, and an adult can report it to an animal welfare charity.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «need» (+4); the same doer «dogs» (+4). The right option, 1, scored 2. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t4}

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«my cat ignores me when I call, she doesn't even know her name» What is probably true?

- **1.** She is deaf in both ears — score 8
- **2.** She knows it, but chooses not to come — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 9
- **3.** Cats cannot hear names — score 6
- **4.** Her name is too long for her — score 8

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 9, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 237, line 11: «An experiment in Japan found cats know their own names, though they often choose not to come.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «know» (+4); the same doer «cats» (+4); the same thing acted on «own names» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t5}

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A cartoon cat falls off a roof, lands on its feet and walks away fine. What is the real picture?

- **1.** Cats can fly a little — no support
- **2.** Cats always land on their backs — score 9
- **3.** Cats twist feet-down, but falls can still hurt them badly — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 10
- **4.** Cats can never get hurt by falling, from any height at all — score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 10, against 9 for the next best. Its support: lesson 199, line 10: «Cats have a righting reflex: when they fall they twist head first, then the body, to land on their feet, but falls from balconies and high windows can still ba…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «hurt» (+6); the same doer «falls» (+4); the same property (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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«dog's going mental at the door, it's 5 o'clock, how'd he know» What is the best answer?

- **1.** He learned the routine and reads little signs — **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **2.** Dogs can tell the time by looking at clocks — **← Mova's choice** · score 9
- **3.** It is pure magic — no support
- **4.** He smelled the clock — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 with score 9, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 140, line 8: «A dog's nose has hundreds of millions of smell cells, the smell part of its brain is huge compared with ours, it sniffs about five to ten times a second, and i…», 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 doer «dog» (+3); the same property (+2). The right option, 1, scored 8. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t7}

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A friend says a purring cat is always happy. What is wrong?

- **1.** Nothing, purring only ever means happy — score 5
- **2.** Cats also purr when hurt or stressed — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **3.** Only kittens purr, never grown-up cats — no support
- **4.** Cats purr only when they are angry with you — score 8

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 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 237, line 10: «Cats purr when happy, but also when hurt or stressed, and kittens knead their mothers to get milk, a habit grown cats keep when comfortable.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «purr» (+4); the same doer «cats» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t8}

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«my dog yawned when dad yawned lol coincidence» What might it really be?

- **1.** Dad caught it from the dog first, always — score 5
- **2.** A coincidence, dogs never catch yawns — score 7
- **3.** The dog was copying the TV — no support
- **4.** Dogs sometimes catch yawns, most from their own people — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 13

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 13, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 237, line 14: «Dogs sometimes catch yawns from people, more often from their own owners.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «catch» (+4); the same doer «dogs» (+4); the same property (+3); the same thing acted on «yawns» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t9}

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What would happen if you pointed at a hidden ball for a wolf instead of a dog?

- **1.** The wolf would usually find it hard to follow the point — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **2.** The wolf would point back — no support
- **3.** The wolf would bring you the ball — no support
- **4.** The wolf would find it much faster than any dog ever could — score 4

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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 194, line 15: «Fur standing up along a dog's back is called raised hackles; it shows the dog is very worked up, which can be fear, anger or just big excitement.», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «dog» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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Count them: Tom the cat, Spike the bulldog and Jerry the mouse in a real kitchen. How many ears and how many tails?

- **1.** 3 ears and 3 tails — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** 6 ears and 6 tails — no support
- **3.** 12 ears and 3 tails — no support
- **4.** 6 ears and 3 tails — **✓ 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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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Count them: 2 dogs and 3 cats come to the vet. How many legs?

- **1.** 10 legs — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** 16 legs — no support
- **3.** 20 legs — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** 24 legs — 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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t11/)

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### Test 12 · ★★ · right ✓ {#t12}

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«my dog shoved my hand off the neighbour's puppy, is he jealous??» What do tests suggest?

- **1.** Dogs may feel a simple kind of jealousy — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **2.** He is trying to shake hands with the puppy — score 7
- **3.** Dogs cannot feel anything like that at all — score 5
- **4.** He thinks the puppy is something good to eat — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 8, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 196, line 6: «Sniffer dogs are trained to find particular smells such as drugs, food or explosives, and beagles are often used at airports because they are friendly and have…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «find» (+5); the same doer «sniffer dogs» (+2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/t12/)

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

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the «guilty» expression exhibited by a dog upon being reprimanded?

- **1.** It is displayed only by dogs of working breeds — score 3
- **2.** It is never observed in domestic dogs — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **3.** It constitutes a reliable admission of the specific misdeed — no support
- **4.** It is displayed irrespective of actual misconduct and probably serves to appease the owner — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 8, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 196, line 12: «Police dogs are trained to follow a scent trail and to find and hold people; when they retire they often live with their handler.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «find» (+6); the same circumstance (+5). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). 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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/e1/)

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

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Identify the manner in which a domestic cat ordinarily captures a mouse.

- **1.** By the setting of baited traps — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** By prolonged pursuit throughout the dwelling — no support
- **3.** By waiting motionless and subsequently pouncing — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** By excavating the burrow with implements — 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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/e2/)

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

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Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the response of a cat to its own name.

- **1.** The cat is incapable of distinguishing its name — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **2.** The cat recognises only names consisting of a single syllable — score 8
- **3.** The cat recognises its name but frequently elects not to respond — **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **4.** The cat responds invariably and immediately — 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 237, line 11: «An experiment in Japan found cats know their own names, though they often choose not to come.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «name» (+4); the same doer «cats» (+4). The right option, 3, scored 8. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓ {#e4}

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Ascertain the principal significance of a stiff, high and rapid wag of the tail in a dog.

- **1.** It may indicate tension rather than friendliness — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** It invariably indicates delight — no support
- **3.** It indicates hunger alone — no support
- **4.** It indicates that the dog is asleep and dreaming — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, 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/237-animal-minds-what-dogs-and-cats-feel-and-understand-and-do-cats-really-chase-mice/e4/)

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- ← previous: [236. Animal minds: elephants' memory, feelings and th…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/236-animal-minds-elephants-memory-feelings-and-the-mouse-myth/)
- next →: [238. Ants: colonies, queens, farmers and living bridges](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/238-ants-colonies-queens-farmers-and-living-bridges/)
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