Ducks, geese and farm myths

Tests: 3 of 12 right · Exam: 3 of 4 right · Kind: ★★ · Understood: 14 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 213 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 teacher said a duck's quack doesn't echo, mad innit» What is right?

1. It is a myth; tests showed the quack does echo, just quietly — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Yes, it is the only sound in the world that cannot echo, scientists say — no support
3. No, a quack echoes only in caves — ← Mova's choice · score -1
4. Yes, because ducks quack underwater — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score -1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 213, line 10: «The saying that a duck's quack does not echo is a myth: scientists tested it in a special sound room in 2003 and found that it does echo, though the echo is qu…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «echo» (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★★ · wrong ✗

«mum duck and 8 ducklings walking in a line, how many legs»

1. 9 — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. 36 — no support
3. 16 — no support
4. 18 — ✓ 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 3 · ★★ · right ✓

«2 geese, 3 ducks and a turkey on the farm. count the wings, no trunks obviously»

1. 12 — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. 10 — no support
3. 6 — no support
4. 24 — 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 ✗

«chuck them the old bread, ducks love it» What is better?

1. Bread is the best food for ducks — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. Peas, sweetcorn or oats, because bread fills them up with little goodness — ✓ the right answer · score 3
3. Crisps are better than bread — no support
4. Ducks should never be fed anything at all, not even peas, or they forget how to find food — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 213, line 7: «White bread is bad for ducks: it fills them up without the goodness they need, and soggy leftover bread pollutes ponds; peas, sweetcorn, oats and duck food are…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «white bread» (+2); the same circumstance (+1); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). The right option, 2, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★★ · wrong ✗

In a cartoon an ostrich panics and sticks its head in the sand. What does a real ostrich do in danger?

1. Climbs into its nest and hides its head — score 10
2. Runs at up to seventy kilometres an hour or kicks — ✓ the right answer · score 3
3. Lies on its back and plays dead forever — no support
4. Buries its head deep in the sand until all the danger has passed by — ← Mova's choice · score 14

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 4 with score 14, against 10 for the next best. Its support: lesson 213, line 14: «Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand: they lie flat to hide and turn their eggs in a nest dug in the ground, which from far away can look like heads 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 (+5); the same action «bury» (+4); the same doer «ostriches» (+4); the same thing acted on «heads» (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 2, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★★ · right ✓

«every cow in my picture book is black and white with a pink nose» What is right?

1. Black and white cows are only in cartoons — no support
2. Brown cows are just dirty black and white ones — no support
3. All cows in the world are black and white — no support
4. Many cow breeds are brown, red or black — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 213, line 13: «Many cow breeds are brown, red or black; only some dairy breeds such as the Holstein are black and white, and each cow's pattern is unique like a fingerprint.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «many cow breeds» (+2); the same property (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★ · right ✓

«get away from that goose, it's hissing at ya!» Why is it hissing?

1. It is defending its nest — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
2. It is laughing at the way you walk — score 4
3. It is cold and wants to get warm — no support
4. It wants to be stroked on the neck — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 213, line 11: «Geese defend their nests fiercely and hiss at people; they are big and brave and have been kept as guards, and an old Roman story tells of geese warning of a n…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «defend» (+3); the same doer «geese» (+2); the same thing acted on «nests» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★ · wrong ✗

What would happen if a duck's oil gland stopped working?

1. It would turn into a goose — no support
2. Its feathers would soak up water and it could get cold and heavy — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Nothing at all would happen, because ducks do not need oil to stay dry and warm — ← Mova's choice · score -1
4. It would swim faster — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 3 with score -1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 213, line 6: «A duck spreads oil from a gland near its tail over its feathers with its beak, which keeps them waterproof.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «oil» (+1). Against it: the same doer «duck» (-1); a different action (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 9 · ★★ · wrong ✗

A gosling, a baby goose, hatches in a farmer's kitchen and the first thing it sees is the farmer's boots. What may happen?

1. Nothing, it ignores everything that moves and waits for a duck or goose to come — no support
2. It may follow the boots around as if they were its mother — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It will run away from the boots — ← Mova's choice · score 2
4. It will learn to talk — score 1

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 2, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 121, line 10: «Many dogs chase things that run away, such as cats, squirrels and balls; this is called prey drive, and it comes from their wolf ancestors; a cat that stands s…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «run away» (+1); the same property (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★★ · wrong ✗

«why's that turkey going gobble gobble, is it a boy or a girl» What is right?

1. Only males gobble, so it is a male — ✓ the right answer · score 0
2. Turkeys never gobble — ← Mova's choice · score 3
3. Only females gobble — no support
4. Both gobble the same — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 3, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 213, line 16: «Only male turkeys gobble, to attract females and warn rivals; wild turkeys can fly and run fast, but farm turkeys are bred so heavy that they can hardly fly.», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «male turkeys» (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). The right option, 1, scored 0. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★ · wrong ✗

«why's the front goose always changing» What is right?

1. The front goose keeps getting lost, so another one takes over the map — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. The front goose falls asleep — no support
3. They take turns because the front is most tiring — ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. They are racing to be first — no support

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 213, line 11: «Geese defend their nests fiercely and hiss at people; they are big and brave and have been kept as guards, and an old Roman story tells of geese warning of a n…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «keep» (+3); the same doer «geese» (+1). The right option, 3, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Donald Duck in cartoons walks about on the ice all winter in a sailor's top. What keeps a real duck warm on ice?

1. Ducks feel no cold at all — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. A jacket of thick fur — score 4
3. Heat swapped between blood vessels in its legs and its waterproof feathers — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Ducks keep warm by quacking loudly and flapping their wings all night on the ice — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 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 123, line 4: «Daffy Duck shouts all day, but real ducks are mostly calm; oil from a gland near the tail keeps them waterproof, and a clever blood system stops their feet fre…», 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 «real ducks» (+2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · right ✓

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the means whereby ducks maintain bodily warmth in icy water?

1. Ducks are insensible to cold by reason of their quacking, which warms the blood throughout the body — score 2
2. The feet of ducks contain no blood whatsoever — score 6
3. Ducks possess fur upon their feet — score -1
4. Heat is exchanged between warm and cold blood vessels in the legs, the body remaining warm — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 11, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 213, line 5: «Ducks can swim in icy water because warm and cold blood vessels in their legs swap heat, so their feet stay cold and their body stays warm, and their feet do n…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «stay» (+5); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same doer «body» (+2); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

Identify the principal reason for which geese fly in a V formation.

1. The formation spells a letter for observers below — no support
2. The leading bird alone knows the destination, the others following it closely so as not to lose the way — no support
3. Each bird derives lift from the air rising off the wingtip of the bird preceding it, thereby conserving energy — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
4. The formation permits communication by gesture — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 54, line 12: «Geese fly in a V shape; each bird gets a little lift from the air swirling off the wing tips of the bird in front, and they take turns at the front.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «little lift» (+3); the same doer «bird» (+2); the same place «air» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

It is given that a newly hatched duckling follows a person in preference to its mother. Ascertain the most probable explanation.

1. Ducklings follow whoever carries bread — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. The mother has instructed the duckling to do so — no support
3. The duckling imprinted upon the first moving object it perceived — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. The person resembles a duck in plumage — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 213, line 8: «Ducklings follow the first moving thing they see after hatching, usually their mother; this is called imprinting, and ducklings have imprinted on people, dogs…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «follow» (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · 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 ostrich and the concealment of its head.

1. Ostriches sleep with their heads beneath the sand — score 0
2. Ostriches bury their heads whenever danger approaches, remaining so until the danger has departed — score 2
3. Ostriches consume sand as their principal food — no support
4. Ostriches do not bury their heads, but lie flat to hide and attend to eggs in a ground nest — ← 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 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 213, line 14: «Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand: they lie flat to hide and turn their eggs in a nest dug in the ground, which from far away can look like heads i…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «heads» (+3); the same action «bury» (+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/213-ducks-geese-and-farm-myths/