Parrots: talkers, nutcrackers and long lives

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

Lesson 206 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 · ★ · wrong ✗

«my nan's parrot says ur late every time i come in, so it knows im late right» What is right?

1. No, parrots cannot learn words at all — score 5
2. Not really, it has learned the words go with someone coming in — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Yes, it can tell the time by looking at the big clock on the wall — no support
4. Yes, parrots understand every word — ← Mova's choice · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 206, line 6: «Whether parrots understand what they say is still argued; Alex seemed to use some words with meaning, but most pet parrots copy sounds they hear often.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «understand» (+3); the same doer «parrots» (+3). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · right ✓

In Aladdin, Iago the parrot argues and cracks sarcastic jokes. What is true of real parrots?

1. They cannot make any sounds at all — score 2
2. They only talk to other parrots in English — no support
3. They can copy words and learn some labels, but they do not hold conversations — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. They talk in full sentences like people — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 4, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 139, line 12: «Many parrots copy words and sounds such as phones and doorbells, the way wild parrots copy their flock's calls; an African grey called Alex learned to name ove…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «words» (+3); the same action «copy» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗

«3 parrots on a perch n one on my shoulder. how many legs is that»

1. 12 — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. 8 — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. 4 — no support
4. 16 — 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 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

«2 macaws and the dog in the garden, how many tails, and no trunks»

1. 0 — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. 4 — no support
3. 2 — no support
4. 3 — ✓ 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 5 · ★ · right ✓

«gonna buy a big parrot when im 50, it'll be fine» What should someone think about?

1. Parrots need no care when owners get old — score 8
2. Big parrots are fine left alone all day — no support
3. The parrot may live over sixty years and outlive the owner — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9
4. Parrots live only a year or two — score 9

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 9, tied with another option at 9 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 206, line 4: «A parrot's hooked beak is a nutcracker, a spoon and a third foot all at once, and a big parrot can live sixty years or more, so a parrot may outlive the person…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «live» (+5); the same doer «big parrot» (+2); the same property (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · right ✓

What would happen to a clever parrot left alone in a small cage with nothing to do?

1. It would sleep all year — score -1
2. It would be perfectly happy on its own — no support
3. It could get stressed and pull out its own feathers — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. It would learn to read the newspaper at the bottom of its cage — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 5, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 206, line 10: «A parrot that is bored, lonely or stressed may pull out its own feathers; parrots need company, toys and puzzles every day.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «own feathers» (+3); the same action «pull out» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★ · right ✓

«hiker's sandwich got nicked by a green parrot in the mountains lol» Which bird was it most likely?

1. A kea in New Zealand — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
2. A penguin — no support
3. An African grey in a forest — no support
4. A cockatoo at a clay lick — score 7

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 206, line 15: «The kea is a curious mountain parrot from New Zealand that solves problems, steals food and sometimes pulls rubber off cars.», 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 «kea» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · right ✓

A parrot holds a nut in one foot and nibbles it. What helps it hold the nut?

1. Two toes forward and two back, like a hand — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
2. Its long tail wrapped round the nut — no support
3. Its wings folded over the nut — no support
4. Sticky pads on its toes — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 206, line 8: «Parrots climb with their beak as a third foot, and their feet have two toes pointing forward and two back, so they can grip branches and hold food like a hand.», 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 «two toes» (+3); a different action (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗

«that cockatoo's got its head feathers stuck up like a mohawk, what's up with him» What is right?

1. He is moulting all his feathers — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. He is too cold — no support
3. He is excited or alarmed — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. He has just had a bath — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 99, line 16: «Once a year penguins moult all their feathers in a few weeks; they cannot swim or eat then, so they fatten up beforehand and look scruffy.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «feathers» (+3); the same action «moult» (+2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★ · right ✓

In the film Rio, Blu the blue macaw cannot fly at first and lives in a bookshop. What is true of Spix's macaws?

1. They live only in bookshops — no support
2. They are the most common parrot on Earth and live in every big city park in the world — score 4
3. They never lived in the wild at all — no support
4. They almost vanished from the wild, and some have been released again, it was reported — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 7, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 206, line 14: «Spix's macaw, the blue parrot of the film Rio, almost vanished from the wild, and some zoo-bred birds have been released in Brazil, it was reported.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same place «wild» (+5); the same action «vanish» (+2); the same property (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗

«why's the parrot screaming its head off, shut it up» Why are some parrots so loud?

1. Parrots are always in pain — no support
2. Loud calls carry far, so the flock can keep in touch through the forest — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Parrots are deaf and cannot hear how loud they are, so they shout all day — ← Mova's choice · score 4
4. They are copying a fire alarm every time — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 206, line 6: «Whether parrots understand what they say is still argued; Alex seemed to use some words with meaning, but most pet parrots copy sounds they hear often.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «parrots» (+3); the same action «hear» (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

«parrot's eyes going small, feathers puffed and beak open at my mate» What should the mate do?

1. Shout so it calms down — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Back off, these are warning signs before a bite — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Grab the parrot quickly — no support
4. Put a finger right up to its beak so it can smell you — 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 the vocal capacity of parrots?

1. Speech is produced by the teeth concealed within the beak — no support
2. Sounds are learned and reproduced by means of a chest voice organ and a specialised region of the brain — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Parrots are incapable of producing any learned sound — ← Mova's choice · score 8
4. Parrots are born possessed of a complete human vocabulary — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 195, line 6: «A clicker makes a short sharp click that marks the exact moment the dog did the right thing, and the treat follows; zoos use clicker training so animals calmly…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «make» (+6); the same thing acted on «short sharp click» (+3). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the principal consideration which ought to precede the acquisition of a large parrot.

1. The parrot will assume responsibility for its own care — score 3
2. Large parrots invariably perish within two years — score 2
3. The animal may live beyond sixty years and thus outlive its owner — ✓ the right answer · score 6
4. Large parrots require neither company nor occupation — ← Mova's choice · score 10

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 10, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 206, line 10: «A parrot that is bored, lonely or stressed may pull out its own feathers; parrots need company, toys and puzzles every day.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «need» (+5); the same thing acted on «company» (+3); the same doer «parrots» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓

It is given that a captive parrot has commenced removing its own feathers. Ascertain the most probable cause.

1. Boredom, loneliness or stress — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. An excess of company and toys — no support
3. The approach of migration — no support
4. A natural requirement for brighter plumage — 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 4 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the consumption of clay by wild macaws.

1. Clay is mistaken by the birds for fruit — no support
2. Clay is consumed solely to sharpen the beak — no support
3. Macaws do not consume clay under any circumstances — score 1
4. Clay may supply salt and counteract harsh chemicals in certain seeds — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 4, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 206, line 13: «In the Amazon, hundreds of macaws gather at river banks to eat clay, which may give them salt and help with harsh chemicals in some seeds; scientists still arg…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «salt» (+3); the same doer «clay» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/206-parrots-talkers-nutcrackers-and-long-lives/