---
title: Identify the principal reason for which mountaineers experience brea… — Mountains: life as you climb higher · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which mountaineers experience breathlessness at high altitude. Exam question 1 of lesson 13 «Mountains: life as you climb higher» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choic
---

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# Exam question 1 · Mountains: life as you climb higher

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which mountaineers experience breathlessness at high altitude.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, mountaineers · **What happens:** identify, experience · **To what, where:** principal reason, breathlessness, high altitude

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 13 «Mountains: life as you climb higher» 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/13-mountains-life-as-you-climb/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:13-mountains-life-as-you-climb:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which mountaineers experience breathlessness at high altitude.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
7	mountaineers	mountaineer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	experience	experience	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
9	breathlessness	breathlessness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	high	high	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	altitude	altitude	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **experience** | present | mountaineers | breathlessness |  | high altitude |  | for the principal reason | vn sight-30.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer breathlessness=Stimulus |

<!-- .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 -->
The air at altitude contains a greater proportion of dust

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:13-mountains-life-as-you-climb:e1:o1:1
# text = The air at altitude contains a greater proportion of dust
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	altitude	altitude	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	contains	contain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	greater	great	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	amod	_	_
8	proportion	proportion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	dust	dust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contain** | present | the air at altitude | a greater proportion of dust |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot proportion=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reduced density of the air diminishes the oxygen obtained in each breath

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:13-mountains-life-as-you-climb:e1:o2:1
# text = The reduced density of the air diminishes the oxygen obtained in each breath
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	reduced	reduce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	density	density	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	diminishes	diminish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	oxygen	oxygen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	obtained	obtain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	acl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	13	det	_	_
13	breath	breath	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reduce** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer |
| 2 | **diminish** | present | the reduced density of the air | the oxygen |  |  |  |  | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Causer oxygen=Patient |
| 3 | **obtain** | participle |  | the oxygen *not said here* |  | each breath |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The force of gravity is substantially greater upon mountains

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:13-mountains-life-as-you-climb:e1:o3:1
# text = The force of gravity is substantially greater upon mountains
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	force	force	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	gravity	gravity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	substantially	substantially	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	greater	great	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
8	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	mountains	mountain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the force of gravity |  |  |  |  | upon mountains; great, substantially *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The proximity of the Sun renders the air excessively warm for respiration

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:13-mountains-life-as-you-climb:e1:o4:1
# text = The proximity of the Sun renders the air excessively warm for respiration
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	proximity	proximity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Sun	Sun	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	renders	render	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	excessively	excessively	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
11	for	for	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	respiration	respiration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **render** | present | the proximity of the Sun | the air |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent air=Theme |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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