Birds of every kind: penguins, ostriches, parrots, hummingbirds, songbirds, crows

Tests: 7 of 12 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★★ · Understood: 14 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 35 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 ✓

lol ostriches bury their heads in sand when scared. everyone knows that

1. True, but only the males — no support
2. True, they breathe through the sand — score 2
3. Myth: they lie flat with necks on the ground or turn their eggs — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
4. True, they hide their heads in the sand till the danger goes away — score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 17: «Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand; they lay their heads flat on the ground to hide and turn their eggs in a nest scraped in the soil.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «turn» (+5); the same thing acted on «eggs» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★★ · wrong ✗

In an animated film penguins and a polar bear chat on an iceberg at the North Pole. How would you put it right?

1. Polar bears visit the South Pole in winter — no support
2. Penguins migrate all the way to the North Pole every summer to find food — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. Nothing is wrong — no support
4. Wild penguins live in the south and never meet polar bears — ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 7, line 7: «Emperor penguins find their partners and chicks among thousands of others by recognising their calls.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «find» (+3); the same doer «emperor penguins» (+2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). The right option, 4, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★★ · wrong ✗

A zoo stops giving its flamingos their special food. What would happen?

1. They would turn green — no support
2. They would slowly fade to white — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Nothing, flamingos are always pink — ← Mova's choice · score 4
4. They would grow bigger — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 35, line 14: «Flamingos are pink from the colours in the algae and brine shrimp they eat; chicks are grey, and the backward bend in the leg is the ankle, not the knee, which…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «flamingos» (+2); the same property (+1); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★★ · right ✓

My cousin says the flamingo's knee bends backwards. Is he right?

1. No, flamingos have no knees or ankles at all, their legs are one bone — no support
2. No, that bend is the ankle; the knee is hidden in the feathers — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 10
3. Yes, but only when standing on one leg — no support
4. Yes, flamingos have backward knees — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 10, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 35, line 14: «Flamingos are pink from the colours in the algae and brine shrimp they eat; chicks are grey, and the backward bend in the leg is the ankle, not the knee, which…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «backward bend» (+5); the same thing acted on «ankle» (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★★ · wrong ✗

What would happen if a hummingbird's wings beat only once a second?

1. It would hover even better — ← Mova's choice · score 8
2. It could not hover in front of a flower — ✓ the right answer · score 2
3. It would fly backwards much faster than before — score 5
4. Nothing would change — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 8, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 35, line 2: «The penguin's wings became flippers, the ostrich's legs became racing legs with two toes, and the hummingbird's wings beat so fast it can hover and even fly ba…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «hover» (+4); the same doer «hummingbird» (+4). The right option, 2, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★★ · right ✓

A crow keeps cawing at one man in the park every day. What is the likely reason?

1. Crows remember a face for years, and he once bothered it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 13
2. The crow likes his hat colour — score 3
3. Crows cannot recognise people — score 3
4. Crows caw at every single person in the park in the same way — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 13, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 35, line 11: «Crows in Japan drop walnuts at traffic lights for cars to crack, and crows can remember a human face for years.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «remember» (+4); the same doer «crows» (+3); the same property (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Your mate says a parrot just makes noises and can't mean anything. What would Alex the African grey say about that?

1. He only copied the last word he heard — ← Mova's choice · score 7
2. He could talk about anything, just like a person, and tell stories — no support
3. He could name colours and shapes, so some parrots understand words — ✓ the right answer · score 7
4. He could only whistle — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 35, line 9: «Parrots copy sounds with a voice box deep in the chest; Alex, an African grey studied for 30 years, learned over 100 words and could name colours, shapes and n…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «100 words» (+4); the same doer «alex» (+2); the same action «learn» (+1). The right option, 3, scored 7. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★ · right ✓

What would happen if all the jays in a wood vanished?

1. The oak trees would all die at once — no support
2. There would be more acorns in the trees forever — no support
3. Fewer new oak trees would be planted — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 0
4. Nothing at all — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 3 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 35, line 3: «Some birds are brainy: a crow drops walnuts on a road for cars to crack, a jay remembers where it buried thousands of acorns, and an African grey parrot can na…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «jay» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★★ · wrong ✗

A reed warbler's eggs are pushed out of its own nest. Who did it?

1. A woodpecker — ← Mova's choice · score 7
2. The newly hatched cuckoo chick — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. The reed warbler itself — no support
4. The wind — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 35, line 15: «Woodpeckers hammer wood up to about 20 times a second to find grubs, dig nests and drum to claim a territory.», 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 «woodpeckers» (+2); the same thing acted on «nests» (+2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★★ · right ✓

How do young cuckoos find their way to Africa?

1. Alone, with no parents to show them — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
2. They hitch a ride on the backs of big geese — no support
3. The reed warblers fly with them — score 3
4. Their real parents lead them — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 1 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 5, line 16: «The greater roadrunner is a cuckoo that runs at about 30 km per hour, eats lizards, insects and even rattlesnakes, and warms up on cold mornings by showing dar…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «show» (+3); the same doer «cuckoo» (+2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★ · right ✓

In a cartoon, a kiwi flies down from a tree to catch worms. What is wrong?

1. Kiwis cannot fly; they sniff out worms on the ground at night — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Kiwis live only in the Arctic — no support
3. Kiwis only eat fruit — no support
4. Nothing, kiwis are great flyers — 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 12 · ★★ · right ✓

Crap, the phone rang again, no wait, it's the starling on the roof. Is that possible?

1. Only parrots can do that — no support
2. Yes, starlings copy ringtones and alarms — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
3. No, birds cannot copy machine sounds — no support
4. Only in Australia — 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 35, line 13: «The superb lyrebird of Australia copies almost any sound around it, including other birds, camera shutters, car alarms and chainsaws, and starlings in towns co…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «copy» (+2); the same doer «starlings» (+1); the same thing acted on «phone ringtones» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the parent which incubates the egg of the emperor penguin during the Antarctic winter.

1. Both parents alternately each hour — no support
2. The female, in a nest of stones — no support
3. Neither parent, the egg being buried — ← Mova's choice · score 3
4. The male, upon his feet — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 31, line 13: «A mother sea turtle buries about 100 eggs in the sand; the babies hatch weeks later, usually dig out at night and run towards the brighter horizon over the sea.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «bury» (+2); the same thing acted on «100 eggs» (+1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the geographical relation between polar bears and penguins?

1. They share the same icy coasts in winter, the bears hunting the penguins for food — ← Mova's choice · score 9
2. Both inhabit the Arctic — no support
3. The former inhabit the Arctic, the latter the southern hemisphere, and they do not meet in the wild — ✓ the right answer · score 8
4. Both inhabit the Antarctic — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 9, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 35, line 1: «About 11,000 kinds of birds share the same plan of feathers, beak and two wings, yet each has bent it to fit its own life.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «11,000 kinds» (+4); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). The right option, 3, scored 8. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

Ascertain the cause of the pink colouration of the flamingo.

1. A pigment present from hatching irrespective of diet — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Exposure to strong sunlight — no support
3. The colour of the warm pink water in which it stands to feed all day — no support
4. Pigments obtained from its diet of algae and brine shrimp — ✓ 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

Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓

It is given that an ostrich perceives danger. Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning its conduct.

1. It may flee at speed or lie flat with its neck on the ground — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9
2. It remains entirely motionless with its head raised — no support
3. It takes flight into the trees — no support
4. It buries its head in the sand — score 1

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 9, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 35, line 8: «The ostrich is the biggest living bird, up to about 2.7 m tall; it cannot fly but runs at about 70 km/h on feet with only two toes, and the head-in-sand story…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «lie» (+5); the same property (+2); the same circumstance (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/35-birds-of-every-kind/