---
title: «why was the dodo so easy to catch, dumb bird or what» What is right? — Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground slo… · tree and pragmatics
description: «why was the dodo so easy to catch, dumb bird or what» What is right? Test 8 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 of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was 
---

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# Test 8 · Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground sloths, glyptodonts and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«why was the dodo so easy to catch, dumb bird or what» What is right?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** dodo · **What happens:** be, catch

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 of lesson 131 «Ice Age: real sabre-tooths, ground sloths, glyptodonts and dodos» of the biology course of Mova's primary school. 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/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:t8:1
# text = «why was the dodo so easy to catch, dumb bird or what» What is right?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	dodo	dodo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	so	so	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	easy	easy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	catch	catch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	dumb	dumb	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
16	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	18	nsubj	_	_
17	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
18	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | past | the dodo |  |  |  |  | easy *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **catch** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | the dodo *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | right *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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It had no predators on its island, so it never learned to fear people

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:t8:o1:1
# text = It had no predators on its island, so it never learned to fear people
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	on	on	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	island	island	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
11	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	learned	learn	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	fear	fear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	xcomp	_	_
15	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | It | no predators |  | its island |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent predator=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **learn** | past | island |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **fear** | to-infinitive | island *not said here* | people |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer people=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was far too heavy to walk, so it just sat and waited to be picked up

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:t8:o2:1
# text = It was far too heavy to walk, so it just sat and waited to be picked up
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	far	far	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	5	advmod	_	_
4	too	too	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	walk	walk	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
11	just	just	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	sat	sit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	waited	wait	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	conj	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
16	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	17	aux:pass	_	_
17	picked	pick	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	advcl	_	_
18	up	up	ADP	RP	_	17	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | It |  |  |  |  | far, heavy *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **walk** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **sit** | past | it |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **wait** | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **pick up** | to-infinitive · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84-1 «NP V PP.topic S\_ING» |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It wanted to be caught

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:t8:o3:1
# text = It wanted to be caught
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	caught	catch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** | past | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **catch** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP» |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was blind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:131-ice-age-sabre-tooths-ground-sloths-and-scrat:t8:o4:1
# text = It was blind
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	blind	blind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | It |  |  |  |  | blind *property* | tree rules |

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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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