---
title: The reptile house: snakes — how Mova does on the tests · Biology
description: Lesson 87 of the biology course of Mova's primary school: 6 of 12 tests right, exam 2 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# The reptile house: snakes

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**Tests:** 6 of 12 right · **Exam:** 2 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 11 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 87 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/).

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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/87-reptile-house-snakes/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · right ✓ {#t1}

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In The Jungle Book Kaa hypnotises Mowgli with spinning eyes. What would you fix?

- **1.** Snakes cannot hypnotise; they have no eyelids, so they stare — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 12
- **2.** Only cobras can hypnotise people — no support
- **3.** Right, all pythons hypnotise their prey with their eyes before they strike — score 2
- **4.** Snakes close their eyes to hypnotise — score 5

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 12, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 30, line 4: «In The Jungle Book, Kaa the python hypnotises people with spinning eyes; real snakes can't hypnotise anyone, they just have no eyelids, so their stare never bl…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «snakes» (+4); it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same thing acted on «eyelids» (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t2}

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6 snakes and 2 lizards in the reptile house. how many legs

- **1.** 32 — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** 24 — no support
- **3.** 8 — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** 0 — 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · right ✓ {#t3}

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«snake stuck its tongue out at me, it's gonna sting» What is right?

- **1.** Yes, the tongue sprays venom — no support
- **2.** Yes, the tongue has a little sting at each of its two tips — no support
- **3.** Only the fork part can sting — no support
- **4.** The tongue is harmless; it is just smelling the air — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 9

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 9, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 87, line 6: «A snake smells with its forked tongue, touching scent to a special organ in the roof of its mouth; the tongue is harmless.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «tongue» (+3); the same property (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · right ✓ {#t4}

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A rattlesnake has 9 rings on its rattle. What can you say about its age?

- **1.** It is 9 months old — no support
- **2.** It is 90 years old — no support
- **3.** It is exactly 9 years old, one ring for each year of its life — no support
- **4.** Not much; rings are added at each shed, and some break off — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 14

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 14, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 30, line 12: «A rattle is made of hollow rings of keratin that click together as a warning; a ring is added at each shed, and snakes may shed several times a year, so the co…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «add» (+4); it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same thing acted on «ring» (+3); the same place «shed» (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · right ✓ {#t5}

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«just grab it, it's red, black and yellow so it's the safe one, the rhyme says» What is right?

- **1.** All red snakes are harmless — score 7
- **2.** The rhyme always works, everywhere in the world, so go ahead — no support
- **3.** Never touch a wild snake; colour rhymes are not reliable — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 9
- **4.** Yellow means the snake is asleep — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 9, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 87, line 13: «Some harmless snakes, like the milk snake, look like the venomous coral snake, which is called mimicry; colour rhymes are not reliable, so never touch a wild s…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «colour rhymes» (+3); the same property (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · right ✓ {#t6}

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What would happen if the reptile house heaters broke on a cold night?

- **1.** The snakes would get slow and could not digest food — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 0
- **2.** The snakes would shed at once — no support
- **3.** The snakes would warm themselves up by shivering, like we do — no support
- **4.** Nothing, snakes make their own heat — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 67, line 12: «The small intestine is about 6 to 7 metres long in an adult, folded up in the tummy, and most digestion and absorption of food into the blood happens there.», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «food» (+3). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · right ✓ {#t7}

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A cartoon cobra with two little ears dances to the tune. How many outer ears does a real snake have?

- **1.** None; it follows the flute's movement — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 3
- **2.** One, on top of its head — no support
- **3.** Four, hidden under the hood — no support
- **4.** Two, like a dog, but hidden under scales — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 87, line 3: «In cartoons a snake charmer plays a flute and the cobra dances to the tune, and in The Jungle Book Kaa hypnotises with spinning eyes, but snakes have no outer…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «flute» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1); 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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«how come the python eats once a month and I need 3 meals a day» Which answer fits?

- **1.** Pythons sneak out to eat in secret every night — no support
- **2.** You are much bigger than a python — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** Pythons are on a diet — no support
- **4.** You are warm-blooded and burn food to keep warm — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 87, line 5: «Snakes are cold-blooded, so they need far less food than mammals; a big python can go months without a meal.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+2). 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

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«snakes unhinge their jaws, the jaw just pops off» What is closer to the truth?

- **1.** No, snakes always chew their food — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **2.** Yes, but only for eggs — no support
- **3.** The jaws are loose and stretchy rather than coming apart — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Yes, the jaw falls right off after every meal and grows back — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 30, line 8: «Snakes swallow food whole; the two halves of the lower jaw are joined by stretchy tissue, so the idea that they unhinge their jaws is a myth.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «snakes» (+4); the same thing acted on «food» (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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Why would a cobra spread its hood instead of biting first?

- **1.** It wants you to come and stroke its hood — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** It has no venom at all in its fangs — no support
- **3.** Scaring you off saves its venom — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Its fangs are much too short to bite — 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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How can something poisonous like venom help save lives?

- **1.** It cannot help anybody — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Venom cures colds — no support
- **3.** Antivenom made from it treats bites, and it led to medicines — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Drinking a little venom each day makes you stronger and braver — 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t11/)

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### Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t12}

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A snake 10 centimetres long lives under the leaves. What does it most likely eat?

- **1.** Rabbits — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **2.** Birds' eggs — score 8
- **3.** Ant and termite larvae — **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **4.** Fish — score 8

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. 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 87, line 16: «The smallest snakes, threadsnakes, are about 10 centimetres long and eat ant and termite larvae; the reticulated python can grow longer than 6 metres.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «eat» (+5); the same doer «smallest snakes» (+3). 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/t12/)

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

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Identify the principal reason for which a large python may subsist for months without food.

- **1.** It derives nourishment from water alone — no support
- **2.** Being cold-blooded, it does not expend food on body heat — **✓ the right answer** · score 1
- **3.** It consumes small prey continuously and unobserved during the night — **← Mova's choice** · score 3
- **4.** It absorbs nutrients from the air through its skin — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 3, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 52, line 13: «Pythons ambush their prey after waiting very still, squeeze it so it cannot breathe, and swallow it whole; some snakes sense the warmth of animals with heat pi…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «pythons» (+3); the same thing acted on «prey» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). The right option, 2, scored 1. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓ {#e2}

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the function of the forked tongue of a snake?

- **1.** It gathers scent and shows on which side the scent is stronger — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** It serves to cool the body during the heat of the day — no support
- **3.** It is employed to produce sound — no support
- **4.** It injects venom into prey — 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/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 snake charmer's cobra.

- **1.** The snake is hypnotised by the charmer's voice — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** The snake responds to the colour of the pipe — no support
- **3.** The snake dances in time with the melody — no support
- **4.** The snake follows the movement of the pipe, hearing little of the music — **✓ 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/87-reptile-house-snakes/e3/)

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

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Determine the reason for which the age of a rattlesnake cannot be ascertained by counting the rings of its rattle.

- **1.** Rattlesnakes possess no rings — no support
- **2.** A ring is added at each shedding, more than once a year, and rings break off — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **3.** The rings are removed by the keepers — no support
- **4.** Rings are added once per decade — score 5

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 8, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 87, line 14: «A rattlesnake's rattle is made of hollow rings of hard skin; a ring is added at each shed, several times a year, and old rings break off, so you cannot tell it…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «break off» (+4); the same doer «old rings» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/87-reptile-house-snakes/e4/)

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- ← previous: [86. The monkey house and the lemurs of Madagascar](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/86-monkey-house-and-lemurs-of-madagascar/)
- next →: [88. The reptile house: Komodo dragons, chameleons, t…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/88-reptile-house-komodo-chameleons-tortoises-crocodiles/)
- ↑ back to [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/)