---
title: «ostrich wings are just for show, right» What is right? — Myth check: do ostriches bury their he… · tree and pragmatics
description: «ostrich wings are just for show, right» What is right? Test 11 of lesson 151 «Myth check: do ostriches bury their heads in the sand?» 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 right.
---

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# Test 11 · Myth check: do ostriches bury their heads in the sand?

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«ostrich wings are just for show, right» What is right?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** ostrich wings, show · **What happens:** be

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 11 of lesson 151 «Myth check: do ostriches bury their heads in the sand?» 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/151-ostriches-and-heads-in-the-sand/#t11).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:151-ostriches-and-heads-in-the-sand:t11:1
# text = «ostrich wings are just for show, right» What is right?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	ostrich	ostrich	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	wings	wing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	show	show	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
9	right	right	INTJ	UH	_	13	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
11	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	13	nsubj	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	13	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | ostrich wings |  |  |  |  | for show | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | show |  |  |  |  | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, they do nothing at all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:151-ostriches-and-heads-in-the-sand:t11:o1:1
# text = Yes, they do nothing at all
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	do	do	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	4	obj	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present | they | nothing |  | all |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Eventuality |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They help it balance and steer when running, shade chicks and cool it on hot days

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:151-ostriches-and-heads-in-the-sand:t11:o2:1
# text = They help it balance and steer when running, shade chicks and cool it on hot days
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	help	help	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	balance	balance	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	steer	steer	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
8	running	run	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	shade	shade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	chicks	chick	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	cool	cool	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	_
15	on	on	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | They | it |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent it=Beneficiary clause=Theme |
| 2 | **balance** | infinitive |  | shade chicks |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **steer** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **run** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **cool** | present | They *not said here* | it |  |  | day |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent it=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They let it fly short distances over rivers and up onto the tops of rocks

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:151-ostriches-and-heads-in-the-sand:t11:o3:1
# text = They let it fly short distances over rivers and up onto the tops of rocks
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	let	let	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	fly	fly	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	distances	distance	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	over	over	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	rivers	river	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
10	up	up	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
11	onto	onto	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	tops	top	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	conj	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **let** | past | They | it |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **fly** | infinitive |  | short distances |  | rivers and the tops of rocks |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V NP.theme PP»: agent=Agent distance=Theme over river=Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are used to dig the nest

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:151-ostriches-and-heads-in-the-sand:t11:o4:1
# text = They are used to dig the nest
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	dig	dig	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	nest	nest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present · passive |  | They |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **dig** | to-infinitive |  | the nest |  |  |  |  | vn poke-19-1-1-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent nest=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.

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