---
title: Identify the principal reason for which the aye-aye taps upon the wo… — Madagascar: lemurs of every kind and t… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which the aye-aye taps upon the wood of trees. Exam question 1 of lesson 163 «Madagascar: lemurs of every kind and the fossa» 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 wa
---

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# Exam question 1 · Madagascar: lemurs of every kind and the fossa

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which the aye-aye taps upon the wood of trees.

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

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 163 «Madagascar: lemurs of every kind and the fossa» 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/163-madagascar-lemurs-of-every-kind-and-the-fossa/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:163-madagascar-lemurs-of-every-kind-and-the-fossa:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which the aye-aye taps upon the wood of trees.
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	11	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
8	aye	aye	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	aye	aye	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	taps	tap	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
12	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 | **tap** | present | the aye aye |  |  |  |  | for the principal reason; upon the wood of trees | vn investigate-35.4 «NP V NP.location PP.theme»: agent=Agent for which=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
The detection by sound of hollow tunnels containing larvae

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:163-madagascar-lemurs-of-every-kind-and-the-fossa:e1:o1:1
# text = The detection by sound of hollow tunnels containing larvae
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	detection	detection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	hollow	hollow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	tunnels	tunnel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
8	containing	contain	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	larvae	larva	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contain** | gerund | hollow tunnels *not said here* | larvae |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot larva=Theme |
| 2 | **detect** |  | sound of hollow tunnels |  |  |  |  |  | nom detection «cognition transitive»: by=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The deterrence of approaching birds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:163-madagascar-lemurs-of-every-kind-and-the-fossa:e1:o2:1
# text = The deterrence of approaching birds
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	deterrence	deterrence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
4	approaching	approach	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
5	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **approach** | gerund | the deterrence *not said here* | birds |  |  |  |  | vn confront-98 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bird=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cracking of the shells of nuts

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:163-madagascar-lemurs-of-every-kind-and-the-fossa:e1:o3:1
# text = The cracking of the shells of nuts
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cracking	cracking	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	shells	shell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	nuts	nut	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **crack** |  | the shells of nuts |  |  |  |  |  | nom cracking «event intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The communication of alarm to other aye-ayes by means of a loud tapping

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:163-madagascar-lemurs-of-every-kind-and-the-fossa:e1:o4:1
# text = The communication of alarm to other aye-ayes by means of a loud tapping
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	communication	communication	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	alarm	alarm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
7	aye	aye	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	ayes	ay	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	nmod	_	_
11	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	loud	loud	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	tapping	tapping	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the communication of alarm to other aye ayes |  |  |  |  | of a loud tapping | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **communicate** |  | alarm |  |  |  |  | to other aye ayes | nom communication «communication intransitive»: of=agent to=obl |

<!-- 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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