---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Sea lions, seals and otters · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the ecological role of the sea otter? Exam question 2 of lesson 100 «Sea lions, seals and otters» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Sea lions, seals and otters

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the ecological role of the sea otter?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** ecological role

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 100 «Sea lions, seals and otters» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters:e2:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the ecological role of the sea otter?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	ecological	ecological	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	role	role	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	otter	otter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | the ecological role of the sea otter |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It has no discernible effect upon its habitat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters:e2:o1:1
# text = It has no discernible effect upon its habitat
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	5	det	_	_
4	discernible	discernible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	effect	effect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	habitat	habitat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | It | no discernible effect |  |  |  | upon effect's habitat | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent effect=Patient |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By consuming sea urchins it preserves the kelp forests and is thus a keystone species

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters:e2:o2:1
# text = By consuming sea urchins it preserves the kelp forests and is thus a keystone species
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	consuming	consume	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	_
3	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	urchins	urchin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	preserves	preserve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	kelp	kelp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	forests	forest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
12	thus	thus	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	keystone	keystone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	species	species	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | gerund |  | sea urchins |  |  |  |  | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent urchin=Asset |
| 2 | **preserve** | present | it | the kelp forests |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent forest=Beneficiary |
| 3 | **is a** | present |  | a keystone species |  |  |  | thus *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It fertilises the kelp with its droppings alone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters:e2:o3:1
# text = It fertilises the kelp with its droppings alone
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	fertilises	fertilis	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	kelp	kelp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	droppings	dropping	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
8	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fertilis** | present | It | the kelp |  |  |  | with kelp's droppings; alone *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It consumes the kelp forests in great quantity and thereby destroys them entirely

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters:e2:o4:1
# text = It consumes the kelp forests in great quantity and thereby destroys them entirely
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	consumes	consume	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	kelp	kelp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	forests	forest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	quantity	quantity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	destroys	destroy	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
12	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
13	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | present | It | the kelp forests |  | great quantity |  |  | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent forest=Asset |
| 2 | **destroy** | present |  | forests *= forest* |  |  |  | entirely, thereby *property* | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Patient |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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- ← previous: [Sea lions, seals and otters, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters/e1/)
- next →: [Sea lions, seals and otters, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Sea lions, seals and otters](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters/)