Cat body language and cat myths: milk, nine lives and landing on their feet

Tests: 9 of 12 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 12 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 199 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.

Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.

Test 1 · ★ · right ✓

«cats always land on their feet so it's fine if she jumps off the balcony» What is right?

1. Yes, cats never get hurt — score 3
2. Yes, if she has lives left, the fall only takes one of her nine away — no support
3. No, cats can still be badly hurt, so windows and balconies need screens — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9
4. No, cats never land on their feet — score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 9, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 199, line 4: «Some legends hide a real fact: cats really do twist in the air to land on their feet, but they can still be badly hurt in a fall.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+4); the same action «hurt» (+3); the same thing acted on «cats» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · right ✓

In Tom and Jerry Tom gets a saucer of milk as a treat. What should a real cat get?

1. A saucer of milk every day, like in the cartoon, as a special treat — no support
2. Fresh water to drink, as milk upsets most adult cats — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
3. A bucket of cream — no support
4. Milk and cheese — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 5, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 199, line 11: «Most adult cats cannot digest (break down in the tummy) cow's milk well and it can upset their tummies, so water is the best drink for a cat, despite the carto…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «upset» (+4); the same doer «milk» (+2). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · right ✓

«Ginger's lost about 3 lives already lol, 6 left» What is the truth?

1. He has six lives left for sure, so he can take a few more risks — no support
2. Cats have only one life, so he needs care like any pet — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
3. Cats get a new life every birthday — no support
4. He has eight left, he is wrong — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 186, line 8: «The bumblebee bat, about the size of a big bumblebee and weighing about two grams, is one of the smallest mammals, and small bodies need little food but lose h…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «need» (+4); the same thing acted on «little food» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

«black cat walked in front of my bike, I'm doomed today» What is right?

1. Yes, seven years of bad luck, starting from the moment it crossed — score 2
2. No, only white cats bring bad luck — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. No, it is only a myth, the cat brings no bad luck — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. Yes, but only on Fridays — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 199, line 13: «A black cat crossing the road brings no bad luck; in some countries black cats are even thought lucky, and in shelters black cats are sometimes adopted less of…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «bring» (+3); the same thing acted on «bad luck» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · right ✓

«she rolled over so I rubbed her belly and she attacked me, psycho» What happened?

1. She wanted food — no support
2. She is a wild animal and wanted to hurt you on purpose because she hates you — no support
3. A belly-up cat may not want a rub and grabs on reflex — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. She was asleep — no support

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 199, line 8: «A cat lying belly up is often relaxed and trusting, but it does not always want a tummy rub; touching the tummy can set off a grab-and-kick reaction.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «want» (+3); the same thing acted on «tummy rub» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · right ✓

What would happen if you blinked slowly at a calm cat across the room?

1. Many cats would blink slowly back — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. It would run away screaming — no support
3. It would hiss and attack — no support
4. It would fall asleep at once — no support

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

Test 7 · ★ · right ✓

«why does she knead me like dough with her claws, it hurts» What is the reason?

1. She is angry with you — no support
2. She is sharpening her claws on purpose to hurt you because you are too soft and comfy — no support
3. She wants to bake — no support
4. It starts from kittenhood feeding and leaves scent; a thick blanket helps — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 199, line 9: «Kneading, pushing the paws in and out on a blanket like making dough, starts with kittens feeding from their mother, and it also leaves scent from glands in th…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «leave» (+3); the same doer «dough» (+2); the same thing acted on «scent» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · right ✓

«tail's whipping about but he's purring, so keep stroking?» What is wiser?

1. Hug him tighter — no support
2. Keep going, purring wins over the tail every time — no support
3. Stop, a lashing tail means he has had enough — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
4. Stroke his tail — no support

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 199, line 6: «A tail swishing or lashing quickly from side to side means the cat is annoyed or very excited; if it does this while being stroked, stop stroking.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «mean» (+4); the same doer «tail» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

Count them: four cats walk in with tails up. How many tails, and how many happy hellos?

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

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

Test 10 · ★ · right ✓

Count them: two cats and Jerry the mouse. How many ears and how many legs?

1. 6 ears and 12 legs — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. 6 ears and 10 legs — no support
3. 6 ears and 8 legs — no support
4. 4 ears and 12 legs — no support

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

Test 11 · ★ · right ✓

«why'd the cat stick its bum in my face, rude» What is the real meaning?

1. It is a friendly cat hello — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
2. It wants you to leave — score 5
3. It hates you — score 5
4. It is ill — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 118, line 17: «Most pet cats are ordinary mixed cats, and grey, which is a «diluted» black, is common; almost all tortoiseshell and calico cats are female.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «most pet cats» (+2); the same thing acted on «ordinary mixed cats» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

«the cat's hissing and flattening its ears, gonna pick it up for a cuddle» What should happen?

1. Pick it up quickly — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Leave it alone until it calms down — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Blow in its face — no support
4. Hiss back to show who's boss — no support

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

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a domestic cat which approaches with its tail held vertically?

1. The animal is offering a friendly greeting — ✓ the right answer · score 4
2. The animal is preparing to attack — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. The animal is unwell — score 5
4. The animal is in a state of fear and seeks a means of escape — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 70, line 5: «Animals push these senses much further: a sniffer dog can smell things hidden in a suitcase, and a cat feels its way through gaps with its whiskers.», 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 doer «animals» (+2). The right option, 1, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the provision of cow's milk to adult cats.

1. Cow's milk is the most suitable daily drink — no support
2. Most adult cats digest it poorly, and water is the appropriate drink — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
3. Milk is required for the growth of the whiskers — no support
4. Adult cats are unable to drink water — score 0

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 3, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 199, line 11: «Most adult cats cannot digest (break down in the tummy) cow's milk well and it can upset their tummies, so water is the best drink for a cat, despite the carto…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «best drink» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓

Identify the statement which accurately characterises the righting reflex of the cat.

1. The reflex is possessed only by black cats — score 2
2. The reflex is a consequence of the cat having nine lives — no support
3. The reflex renders the cat entirely immune to all injury from falls of whatever height — no support
4. The cat twists so as to land upon its feet, yet may nonetheless sustain serious injury — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 9, against 2 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 «land» (+4); the same circumstance (+3); the same doer «cats» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

It is asserted that a black cat crossing one's path portends misfortune. Ascertain the correct assessment of this assertion.

1. It is a superstition without any scientific foundation — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. It applies only to white cats — ← Mova's choice · score 4
3. It applies solely to Fridays — no support
4. It is an established scientific fact — no support

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 197, line 7: «Whiskers are thick, deep-rooted hairs full of nerves; a cat uses them to judge whether it fits through a gap, and they must never be cut.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «use» (+3); the same circumstance (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/199-cat-body-language-and-cat-myths-milk-nine-lives-and-landing-on-their-feet/