---
title: Understanding cats — how Mova does on the tests · Everyday
description: Lesson 23 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 8 of 19 tests right, exam 3 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Understanding cats

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**Tests:** 8 of 19 right · **Exam:** 3 of 4 right · **Kind:** plain · **Understood:** 17 of 23 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 23 of the everyday 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/).

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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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/).

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### Test 1 · wrong ✗ {#t1}

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Mittens walks up to Emma in her kitchen in Toronto with her tail straight up. What is Mittens saying?

- **1.** I'm scared of you — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Hello, I'm glad to see you — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** I'm going to bite you — no support
- **4.** I'm angry, go away — no support

<!-- .why -->
**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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t1/)

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### Test 2 · right ✓ {#t2}

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A cat in Perth sees a big dog. Its back arches and its fur stands on end. Why?

- **1.** It is stretching after a nap — no support
- **2.** It is happy and wants to play — no support
- **3.** It is scared and trying to look bigger — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 0
- **4.** It is warming its fur in the sun on purpose — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 3 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 2: «A frightened cat puffs its tail up like a bottle brush and arches its back to look bigger; an annoyed cat flicks or thumps its tail and turns its ears back or…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «look» (+2); the same property (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1); 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t2/)

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### Test 3 · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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Which is true?

- **1.** Cats never use their tails to show feelings — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** A slow blink means a cat is angry — no support
- **3.** Cats purr only when they are happy — no support
- **4.** A cat may purr even when it is hurt — **✓ the right answer** · no support

<!-- .why -->
**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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t3/)

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### Test 4 · right ✓ {#t4}

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Jack strokes his cat on the head. Its tail begins to swish and its ears turn back. What has the cat decided?

- **1.** It wants more strokes, and harder ones too — score 7
- **2.** It has had enough and wants him to stop — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **3.** It wants to be picked up — score 7
- **4.** It is falling asleep happily — score 7

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 8, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 2: «A frightened cat puffs its tail up like a bottle brush and arches its back to look bigger; an annoyed cat flicks or thumps its tail and turns its ears back or…», 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 (+3); the same doer «annoyed cat» (+2); the same thing acted on «tail» (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t4/)

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### Test 5 · wrong ✗ {#t5}

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Why do many cats scratch when someone rubs their belly?

- **1.** The belly is where cats feel hungry — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **2.** Cats are ticklish and laugh with their claws instead — no support
- **3.** The belly is soft and cats like to protect it — **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **4.** Cats think the hand is a toy mouse — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). 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 23, line 3: «Slow blinks mean a cat feels safe with you, while wide, round pupils in good light can mean it is scared or excited.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «feel» (+2); the same doer «cat» (+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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t5/)

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### Test 6 · right ✓ {#t6}

<!-- .q -->
A cat hides under a bed with big round pupils and flat ears after fireworks. What should you do?

- **1.** Shine a torch in its eyes — no support
- **2.** Pull it out to cuddle it — no support
- **3.** Bang on the bed to make it come out — score 6
- **4.** Leave it alone and let it calm down — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 4 with score 7, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 5: «Let a cat come to you, stroke it gently on its cheeks, chin and the base of its ears, and stop as soon as its tail starts to twitch, its skin ripples or its ea…», 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 (+3); the same action «let» (+2); the same thing acted on «cat» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t6/)

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### Test 7 · wrong ✗ {#t7}

<!-- .q -->
A cat at a friend's house in Belfast hisses at Grace. What should she do?

- **1.** Reach under to stroke it at once — **← Mova's choice** · score -3
- **2.** Step back and leave the cat alone — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Pick it up to show it she is kind — no support
- **4.** Hiss back so it learns who is boss — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 1 with score -3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 15: «Most cats like to be stroked on the cheeks, under the chin and at the base of the ears.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «stroke» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-3); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-6). The right option, 2, 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t7/)

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### Test 8 · right ✓ {#t8}

<!-- .q -->
Which sign tells you a cat feels safe with you?

- **1.** Its tail is puffed up — score 3
- **2.** Its ears are flat back — no support
- **3.** It blinks slowly while looking at you — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **4.** It hisses when you come close to it — score 3

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 with score 8, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 13: «A slow blink is a sign that a cat trusts you.», 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 (+3); the same doer «cat» (+2); the same circumstance (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t8/)

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### Test 9 · right ✓ {#t9}

<!-- .q -->
Why must a cat scratch be washed even if it is small?

- **1.** Small scratches never matter at all — score 4
- **2.** Cat scratches can carry germs and get infected — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **3.** Cat claws contain poison — no support
- **4.** It will turn into a big scar if you don't wash it — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 7, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 19: «Cat scratches and bites can get infected, so they should be washed with soap and water.», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «cat scratches» (+4); 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t9/)

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### Test 10 · wrong ✗ {#t10}

<!-- .q -->
cat's tail is straight up as she comes over

- **1.** She is about to attack — no support
- **2.** She's saying a friendly hello — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** She is frightened — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **4.** She is hungry and cross — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 10: «A puffed-up tail and an arched back mean a cat is frightened.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «frighten» (+2); the same thing acted on «cat» (+2). The right option, 2, 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t10/)

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### Test 11 · right ✓ {#t11}

<!-- .q -->
cat's tail swishing n thumping while i stroke him

- **1.** He's purring with his tail — score 4
- **2.** Stop, he's getting annoyed — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **3.** Stroke his belly instead — no support
- **4.** Stroke harder — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 11: «A tail that flicks, swishes or thumps usually means the cat is annoyed.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «cat» (+4); the same property (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t11/)

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### Test 12 · wrong ✗ {#t12}

<!-- .q -->
cat rolled over, tummy rub?

- **1.** Yes, that's what she wants — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Better not, many cats hate it — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Yes, cats love belly rubs — no support
- **4.** Yes, if she's purring — no support

<!-- .why -->
**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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t12/)

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### Test 13 · wrong ✗ {#t13}

<!-- .q -->
cat scratched me, bit of blood

- **1.** Leave it, scratches never matter — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Wash it with soap and water — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Lick it clean — no support
- **4.** Put a plaster on dirty skin — no support

<!-- .why -->
**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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t13/)

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### Test 14 · wrong ✗ {#t14}

<!-- .q -->
cat's tail is lashing and ears flat but i wanna cuddle

- **1.** Blow in her face to play — no support
- **2.** Rub her tummy to calm her, cats love that when cross — **← Mova's choice** · score 7
- **3.** Leave her alone, she is about to scratch or bite — **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **4.** Pick her up and squeeze her — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 7, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 8: «A girl in Glasgow ignored her cat's flicking tail and flattened ears and kept rubbing its tummy; it bit her hand, and her hand swelled up and she needed antibi…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «tummy» (+5); the same action «rub» (+3). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t14/)

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### Test 15 · wrong ✗ {#t15}

<!-- .q -->
cat bit me and now my hand is red and puffy

- **1.** Put butter on it — no support
- **2.** Tell an adult, a cat bite may need a doctor — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Wait a week and see — no support
- **4.** Squeeze it to get the bite out — **← Mova's choice** · score 1

<!-- .why -->
**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 22, line 3: «If it stays relaxed and leans in, stroke it gently on the chest or the side of the neck, not on the top of its head, and never hug it or put your face close to…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «hug» (+2); the same thing acted on «hand» (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 2, 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t15/)

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### Test 16 · right ✓ {#t16}

<!-- .q -->
Ruby says cats only scratch when they're mean. right?

- **1.** Yes, only street cats scratch — no support
- **2.** No, cats scratch when scared, hurt or handled too much — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **3.** Yes, unless they are kittens — no support
- **4.** Yes, nice cats never scratch anyone, only mean ones do — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 14: «Cats usually purr when content, but they can also purr when hurt or stressed.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «hurt» (+2); the same doer «cats» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t16/)

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### Test 17 · right ✓ {#t17}

<!-- .q -->
Emily's nan says her cat purred while it was dying so cats purr when they're sad, every time

- **1.** Not every time; cats usually purr when content but can also purr when hurt or stressed — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **2.** She is right, purring always means sadness — no support
- **3.** She is right, so purring cats must see a vet — no support
- **4.** She is right, cats only purr before dying — score 4

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 7, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 14: «Cats usually purr when content, but they can also purr when hurt or stressed.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «cats» (+4); the same action «hurt» (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t17/)

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### Test 18 · wrong ✗ {#t18}

<!-- .q -->
someone said a cat scratched a boy's eye out when he rubbed its belly, it's going round school

- **1.** It is made up, so belly rubs are fine — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Probably exaggerated, but many cats hate belly rubs, so do not touch the belly — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** It is true, so all cats are dangerous — no support
- **4.** It proves cats only scratch boys — no support

<!-- .why -->
**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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t18/)

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### Test 19 · wrong ✗ {#t19}

<!-- .q -->
Daisy's family have 6 cats and people say her house stinks, is it ok to say

- **1.** Yes, but only to her best friend — no support
- **2.** Yes, because six cats proves it — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** Yes, so she cleans up her house — no support
- **4.** No, it is unkind gossip and may not even be true — **✓ the right answer** · no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 6: «For example, a cat that rolls onto its back is showing it trusts you, but rubbing its belly often ends in a scratch, because most cats protect their tummy.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «show» (+2); the same doer «cat» (+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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/t19/)

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

<!-- .q -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a tail held vertically upright by a cat?

- **1.** It constitutes a warning to keep away — score 7
- **2.** It indicates that the cat is frightened — score 7
- **3.** It constitutes a friendly greeting — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 9
- **4.** It indicates that the cat is in pain — score 7

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 with score 9, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 23, line 9: «A tail held straight up is a cat's friendly greeting.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «tail» (+3); the same thing acted on «friendly greeting» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/e1/)

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

<!-- .q -->
Identify the meaning conveyed by a slow blink on the part of a cat.

- **1.** That the cat is about to attack — no support
- **2.** That the cat is very hungry — no support
- **3.** That the cat trusts the person observed — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **4.** That the cat suffers from an eye disease — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 13: «A slow blink is a sign that a cat trusts you.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «cat» (+4); the same action «trust» (+3). 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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3}

<!-- .q -->
Select the response that is consistent with the established facts concerning the cessation of stroking.

- **1.** Stroking should cease when the tail twitches, the skin ripples or the ears turn back — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **2.** Stroking should continue until the cat hisses — no support
- **3.** Stroking should cease only when the cat purrs — no support
- **4.** Stroking should cease only when the cat sleeps — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 23, line 5: «Let a cat come to you, stroke it gently on its cheeks, chin and the base of its ears, and stop as soon as its tail starts to twitch, its skin ripples or its ea…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «tail» (+4); the same action «twitch» (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/23-understanding-cats/e3/)

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

<!-- .q -->
It is given that a cat's tail is puffed up and its back is arched. Determine the state of the animal.

- **1.** The cat is content and relaxed — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** The cat is inviting play — no support
- **3.** The cat is frightened — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** The cat is about to sleep — no support

<!-- .why -->
**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/everyday/23-understanding-cats/e4/)

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<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [22. Meeting a dog safely](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/22-meeting-a-dog-safely/)
- next →: [24. Bees, wasps and stings](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/24-bees-and-wasps/)
- ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/)