Mushrooms and creatures to avoid in the woods: death caps, adders, ticks and hornets

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

Lesson 393 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 ✗

In Mario games the red mushroom with white spots makes you grow. What is true of the real fly agaric?

1. It is only found in cartoons — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. It is poisonous, so never eat it — ✓ the right answer · score 2
3. It makes children grow taller — score -5
4. It is the tastiest wild mushroom — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 393, line 5: «The death cap, a plain pale green-yellow mushroom often found under oaks, causes most deaths from mushroom poisoning in the world.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «find» (+3); the same thing acted on «plain pale yellow mushroom» (+1). The right option, 2, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · wrong ✗

«grandad's mate says slugs nibbled it so it's safe, chuck it in the soup» What is the best reply?

1. Right, slugs can smell poison, so they only ever eat the mushrooms that are safe — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. Right, slugs taste food for us — score 2
3. Only if two slugs nibbled it — score 0
4. That is a myth; slugs eat poisonous mushrooms too, only an expert can tell — ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 393, line 8: «Silver spoons turning black, onions changing colour and slugs nibbling a mushroom are all myths and prove nothing; many poisonous mushrooms show no sign, and o…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «mushroom» (+3); the same doer «slugs» (+1); a different action (counts against) (+1). The right option, 4, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · wrong ✗

A plain pale mushroom under an oak tastes fine and nobody feels ill for hours. Why is this the worst kind?

1. Slow poisons wash out by themselves — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Mild-tasting mushrooms are always safe, so nothing bad can be happening at all — no support
3. A late illness is always a weak one — no support
4. By the time illness starts, the poison has already harmed the liver — ✓ 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 4 · wrong ✗

«there's a snake on the path, chuck a stick at it!» What is the best thing to do?

1. Stamp near it to scare it — no support
2. Stand still, let it slide away, or go round it at a distance — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Pick it up by the tail and put it to one side — ← Mova's choice · score 2
4. Throw sticks at it until it moves off the path and into the grass — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 387, line 2: «Young chimps learn tricks like this by watching their mothers for years, the way you learned to tie your laces by watching someone.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same circumstance (+3); the same action «learn» (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · right ✓

What would happen if you stepped on an adder lying in the sun?

1. It might bite to defend itself — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 10
2. It would spit poison into the air — score 1
3. It would stay still and let you pass — score 1
4. It would always chase you home — score 1

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 10, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 393, line 12: «The grass snake, with two yellow patches behind its head, is harmless, loves water and frogs, and defends itself by hissing, giving off a bad smell or playing…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «defend» (+6); the same thing acted on «snake» (+3); the same doer «grass snake» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · right ✓

«it's just a grass snake, it's played dead, poke it» What is the best advice?

1. Turn it over to check it is dead — score 2
2. Pick it up and take it home as a pet — score 4
3. Leave all snakes alone, even harmless ones — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. Poke it, grass snakes like being prodded — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 5, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 393, line 12: «The grass snake, with two yellow patches behind its head, is harmless, loves water and frogs, and defends itself by hissing, giving off a bad smell or playing…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «leave» (+3); the same thing acted on «snakes» (+1); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · wrong ✗

Count them: mum finds 2 grown-up ticks on the dog. How many legs is that, and are they insects?

1. 12 legs, and no, ticks are not insects — no support
2. 16 legs, and no, ticks are not insects — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. 16 legs, and yes, they are insects — ← Mova's choice · score 2
4. 12 legs, and yes, they are insects — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 2, tied with another option at 2 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 137, line 5: «Praying mantises wait very still, then shoot out spiky front legs that fold like a pocket knife to grab insects in a fraction of a second; a mantis has six leg…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «spiky front legs» (+1); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · wrong ✗

«was in long grass all arvo, so what» Why should you check your skin?

1. Tick bites usually do not hurt, so ticks are often found only later — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Long grass turns your skin green — ← Mova's choice · score 3
3. Ticks make a buzzing sound to warn you, so you would have heard them — no support
4. Long grass leaves sharp splinters stuck in the skin of every leg — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 43, line 11: «Around 1799 the naturalist George Shaw checked the first platypus skin for stitches, and egg-laying was finally proved only in 1884.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); a different doer (counts against) (+2); the same thing acted on «first platypus skin» (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-3). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · wrong ✗

A huge orange-and-brown wasp buzzes past. Your friend starts waving his arms. Why is walking away better?

1. Hornets cannot see people who walk — no support
2. Waving your arms about is the only thing that makes hornets fall asleep in the air — ← Mova's choice · score 4
3. Hornets sting when they feel attacked, and calm walking does not threaten them — ✓ the right answer · score 3
4. Hornets only sting people who stand still — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 329, line 12: «A bearded dragon bobbing its head is signalling that it is in charge, waving one arm is a calm giving-way signal, and its beard turns dark when stressed or sho…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «wave» (+2); the same thing acted on «one arm» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · right ✓

In a cartoon a boy whacks a hornets' nest with a stick and a swarm chases him. What should he really do near a nest?

1. Shout to scare the hornets off — no support
2. Hit it once more, harder, to finish the nest off for good — score 6
3. Never poke or throw things at it, walk calmly away — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9
4. Cover it with his coat so the hornets cannot get out — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 3 with score 9, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 393, line 15: «The European hornet is the biggest wasp in Ukraine and is usually calmer than small wasps; it stings only if its nest is disturbed or it is squashed or grabbed…», 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 (+4); the same action «walk away» (+3); the same property (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · wrong ✗

«found a boar hole in the woods, gonna go see if the piglets are about» What is the problem?

1. Nothing, boars love company and will come and say hello — no support
2. A mother with piglets may charge to protect them, so go back the way you came — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Piglets bite much harder than adults — no support
4. Wild boars only live in zoos, so it must be some other animal — ← Mova's choice · score 2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 69, line 6: «The pupil is a hole that lets light into the eye; the coloured iris around it is a muscle that makes the pupil smaller in bright light and bigger in the dark.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «hole» (+1); it fills the role the question asks for (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · right ✓

Count them: a ranger shows 3 mushrooms and asks which kinds are safe to pick. What is the safe answer for a child?

1. None, until an expert checks each one — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
2. Only the brightest one — score 3
3. The 2 that look most like shop mushrooms — score 1
4. All 3, they look plain — score 0

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 105, line 14: «Polar bears clean themselves carefully after eating and roll in snow in summer, because clean fur keeps them warm and dirty fur lets cold and water reach the s…», 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 thing acted on «skin» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the mushroom responsible for the greatest number of deaths from mushroom poisoning throughout the world.

1. The fly agaric — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. The field mushroom — no support
3. The death cap — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. The common puffball — 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 2 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning traditional tests for poisonous mushrooms, such as the blackening of a silver spoon.

1. Such tests are without foundation, and only an expert familiar with each species may distinguish them — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Such tests are reliable provided that the spoon is of great age — no support
3. Such tests are reliable for red mushrooms exclusively — no support
4. Such tests are reliable in all cases, the blackening of silver being caused by the poison itself — 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 3 · formal language · right ✓

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the tick?

1. It is an eight-legged relative of spiders which feeds upon blood and may transmit Lyme disease — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
2. It is a six-legged insect which feeds exclusively upon leaves — no support
3. It is a winged insect which stings in defence of its nest and which is found chiefly in the roofs of houses — no support
4. It is a small snail which inhabits long grass — 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 393, line 13: «A tick is a tiny eight-legged relative of spiders, not an insect; it waits on grass tips, grabs passing animals and drinks blood, and some ticks carry illnesse…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «tiny legged relative» (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2); it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same doer «tick» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Ascertain the circumstances in which the adder is ordinarily disposed to bite a human being.

1. Whenever a human being is observed at a distance — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. When a human being speaks in its vicinity — no support
3. When it is trodden upon or seized — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Exclusively at night, in pursuit of human beings — 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

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/393-mushrooms-and-creatures-to-avoid-in-the-woods-death-caps-adders-ticks-and-hornets/