---
title: Identify the principal reason for which great numbers of predatory a… — Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground slo… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which great numbers of predatory animals were preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits. Exam question 2 of lesson 131 «Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground sloths, glyptodonts and dodos» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground sloths, glyptodonts and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which great numbers of predatory animals were preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, preserve · **To what, where:** principal reason, great numbers, La Pits

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 131 «Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground sloths, glyptodonts and dodos» 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/131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which great numbers of predatory animals were preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits.
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	13	obl	_	_
7	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	numbers	number	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nsubj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	predatory	predatory	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
12	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	preserved	preserve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
16	La	La	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	_
17	Brea	Brea	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	flat	_	_
18	Tar	Tar	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	flat	_	_
19	Pits	pit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 | **preserve** | past · passive |  | great numbers of predatory animals |  | the La Pits |  | for the principal reason | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Beneficiary |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Predators attracted to ensnared herbivores became ensnared themselves

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:e2:o1:1
# text = Predators attracted to ensnared herbivores became ensnared themselves
1	Predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	attracted	attract	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	ensnared	ensnare	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	herbivores	herbivore	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
6	became	become	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	ensnared	ensnare	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	ccomp	_	_
8	themselves	themselves	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attract** | past | Predators |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **ensnare** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **ensnare** | past · passive | Predators *not said here* | Predators *= predator* |  |  |  | to ensnared herbivores | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: themselves=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Predators deliberately entered the tar in order to rest

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:e2:o2:1
# text = Predators deliberately entered the tar in order to rest
1	Predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	deliberately	deliberately	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	entered	enter	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	tar	tar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	order	order	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	rest	rest	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **enter** | past | Predators | the tar |  | order |  | deliberately *property* | vn escape-51.1-1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme tar=Destination |
| 2 | **rest** | to-infinitive | Predators *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Predators were driven into the tar by human hunters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:e2:o3:1
# text = Predators were driven into the tar by human hunters
1	Predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	driven	drive	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	into	into	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	tar	tar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	human	human	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	hunters	hunter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drive** | past · passive | human hunters | Predators |  | the tar |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent subject=Theme into tar=Trajectory |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tar was consumed by predators as food during hard winters when prey was scarce

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:e2:o4:1
# text = The tar was consumed by predators as food during hard winters when prey was scarce
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tar	tar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	consumed	consume	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
7	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	during	during	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	winters	winter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
12	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	15	mark	_	_
13	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
14	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
15	scarce	scarce	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | past · passive | predators | the tar |  |  | winter | as food | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Asset |
| 2 | **is** | past | prey |  |  |  |  | scarce *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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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