---
title: «lemmings swimming across the river, they're just chucking themselve… — Myth check: do lemmings jump off cliffs? · tree and pragmatics
description: «lemmings swimming across the river, they're just chucking themselves in» What is right? Test 7 · ★★★ of lesson 150 «Myth check: do lemmings jump off cliffs?» 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 7 · ★★★ · Myth check: do lemmings jump off cliffs?

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«lemmings swimming across the river, they're just chucking themselves in» What is right?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** lemmings · **What happens:** swim, chuck in, be · **To what, where:** river, lemmings · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 · ★★★ of lesson 150 «Myth check: do lemmings jump off cliffs?» 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/150-myth-check-do-lemmings-jump-off-cliffs/#t7).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:150-myth-check-do-lemmings-jump-off-cliffs:t7:1
# text = «lemmings swimming across the river, they're just chucking themselves in» What is right?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	lemmings	lemming	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	swimming	swim	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	across	across	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
10	just	just	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	chucking	chuck	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	conj	_	_
12	themselves	themselves	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	11	obj	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
15	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	17	nsubj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
17	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swim** *in a quote* | gerund | lemmings |  |  | the river |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme across river=Trajectory |
| 2 | **chuck in** *in a quote* | present · progressive | lemmings *= lemming* | lemmings *= lemming* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 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 -->
They are moving to find food and space, though some drown

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:150-myth-check-do-lemmings-jump-off-cliffs:t7:o1:1
# text = They are moving to find food and space, though some drown
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	moving	move	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
6	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	space	space	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	though	though	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	12	nsubj	_	_
12	drown	drown	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **move** | present · progressive | They |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **find** | to-infinitive | They *not said here* | food and space |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Topic |
| 3 | **drown** | present | some |  |  |  |  |  | vn poison-42.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, lemmings hate their crowded lives in boom years and give up on purpose

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:150-myth-check-do-lemmings-jump-off-cliffs:t7:o2:1
# text = Yes, lemmings hate their crowded lives in boom years and give up on purpose
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	lemmings	lemming	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	hate	hate	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	crowded	crowded	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	lives	life	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	boom	boom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	give	give	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
13	up	up	ADP	RP	_	12	compound:prt	_	_
14	on	on	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hate** | present | lemmings | lemmings's crowded lives |  |  | year |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer life=Stimulus |
| 2 | **give up** | present | lemmings *not said here* |  |  | purpose |  |  | vn resign-10.11-2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, they swim in to drown on purpose

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:150-myth-check-do-lemmings-jump-off-cliffs:t7:o3:1
# text = Yes, they swim in to drown on purpose
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	swim	swim	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	drown	drown	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swim** | present | they |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **drown** | to-infinitive | they *not said here* |  |  | purpose |  |  | vn poison-42.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, lemmings never go near water

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:150-myth-check-do-lemmings-jump-off-cliffs:t7:o4:1
# text = No, lemmings never go near water
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	lemmings	lemming	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
4	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	go	go	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	near	near	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **go** | present | lemmings |  |  | water |  |  | vn occur-48.3-2 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme near water=Location |

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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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