---
title: Ascertain the principal reason for which the kakapo of New Zealand l… — Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the d… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal reason for which the kakapo of New Zealand lost the capacity for flight. Exam question 4 of lesson 181 «Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the dodo, red crabs, kakapos, giants and dwarfs» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of
---

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# Exam question 4 · Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the dodo, red crabs, kaka…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal reason for which the kakapo of New Zealand lost the capacity for flight.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, kakapo · **What happens:** ascertain, lose · **To what, where:** principal reason, capacity

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 181 «Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the dodo, red crabs, kakapos, giants and dwarfs» 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/181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the principal reason for which the kakapo of New Zealand lost the capacity for flight.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	12	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	kakapo	kakapo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	New	New	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	flat	_	_
11	Zealand	Zealand	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
12	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	capacity	capacity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	for	for	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	flight	flight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **lose** | past | the kakapo of New Zealand | the capacity |  |  |  | for the principal reason; for flight | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent capacity=Eventuality |

<!-- .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 -->
It was domesticated by early settlers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:e4:o1:1
# text = It was domesticated by early settlers
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	domesticated	domesticate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	early	early	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	settlers	settler	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl:agent	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **domesticate** | past · passive | early settlers | It |  |  |  |  | vn remedy-45.7-1 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its feathers were destroyed by the cold of the southern winters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:e4:o2:1
# text = Its feathers were destroyed by the cold of the southern winters
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	feathers	feather	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	destroyed	destroy	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	cold	cold	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	southern	southern	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	winters	winter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **destroy** | past · passive | the cold of the southern winters | Its feathers |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It acquired the habit of swimming instead

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:e4:o3:1
# text = It acquired the habit of swimming instead
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	acquired	acquire	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	habit	habit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	swimming	swimming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	instead	instead	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **acquire** | past | It | the habit of swimming |  |  |  | instead *property* | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset habit=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its homeland lacked mammalian predators hunting on the ground

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:e4:o4:1
# text = Its homeland lacked mammalian predators hunting on the ground
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	homeland	homeland	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lacked	lack	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	mammalian	mammalian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	hunting	hunt	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lack** | past | Its homeland | mammalian predators |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **hunt** | gerund | mammalian predators *not said here* |  |  | the ground |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V PP.theme PP.location»: agent=Agent on ground=Location |

<!-- 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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