---
title: Ascertain the function of the gripping tail of the spider monkey. — The Amazon canopy: howlers, harpy eagl… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the function of the gripping tail of the spider monkey. Exam question 4 of lesson 156 «The Amazon canopy: howlers, harpy eagles, toucans, dart frogs and sloth gardens» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option
---

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# Exam question 4 · The Amazon canopy: howlers, harpy eagles, toucans, dart fr…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the function of the gripping tail of the spider monkey.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, grip · **To what, where:** function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 156 «The Amazon canopy: howlers, harpy eagles, toucans, dart frogs and sloth gardens» 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/156-the-amazon-canopy/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:156-the-amazon-canopy:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the function of the gripping tail of the spider monkey.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	gripping	grip	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	amod	_	_
7	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	spider	spider	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	monkey	monkey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the function of the gripping tail of the spider monkey |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic |
| 2 | **grip** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn touch-20-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
It serves exclusively for balance during leaping

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:156-the-amazon-canopy:e4:o1:1
# text = It serves exclusively for balance during leaping
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	serves	serve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	balance	balance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	during	during	ADP	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	leaping	leap	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **serve** | present | It |  |  |  |  | for balance; exclusively *property* | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent for balance=Recipient |
| 2 | **leap** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It supports the full weight of the animal in the manner of a fifth hand

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:156-the-amazon-canopy:e4:o2:1
# text = It supports the full weight of the animal in the manner of a fifth hand
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	supports	support	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	manner	manner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	fifth	fifth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **support** | present | It | the full weight of the animal |  | the manner of a fifth hand |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer weight=Stimulus |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is employed principally in the excavation of roots and in the digging of nests

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:156-the-amazon-canopy:e4:o3:1
# text = It is employed principally in the excavation of roots and in the digging of nests
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	principally	principally	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	excavation	excavation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	roots	root	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	digging	digging	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	nests	nest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **employ** | present · passive |  | It |  | the excavation of roots and the digging of nests |  | principally *property* | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **excavate** |  | roots |  |  |  |  |  | nom excavation «act intransitive»: of=agent |
| 3 | **dig** |  |  | nests |  |  |  |  | nom digging «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It serves to repel insects

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:156-the-amazon-canopy:e4:o4:1
# text = It serves to repel insects
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	serves	serve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	repel	repel	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **serve** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **repel** | to-infinitive |  | insects |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus insect=Experiencer |

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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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