---
title: In Ice Age a gang of silly dodos fight over a melon and fall off a c… — Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the d… · tree and pragmatics
description: In Ice Age a gang of silly dodos fight over a melon and fall off a cliff one after another. What is the truth? Test 1 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 pragmati
---

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# Test 1 · Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the dodo, red crabs, kaka…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In Ice Age a gang of silly dodos fight over a melon and fall off a cliff one after another. What is the truth?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** gang, truth · **What happens:** fight, fall off, be · **To what, where:** Ice Age, cliff one

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 of lesson 181 «Strange islands: Komodo dragons, the dodo, red crabs, kakapos, giants and dwarfs» 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/181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In Ice Age a gang of silly dodos fight over a melon and fall off a cliff one after another.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:t1:1
# text = In Ice Age a gang of silly dodos fight over a melon and fall off a cliff one after another.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	Ice	Ice	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	Age	Age	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	gang	gang	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	silly	silly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	dodos	dodo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
9	fight	fight	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	over	over	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	melon	melon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	fall	fall	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
15	off	off	ADP	RP	_	14	compound:prt	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	cliff	cliff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	compound	_	_
18	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
19	after	after	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fight** | present | a gang of silly dodos |  |  |  | in Ice Age | over a melon | vn battle-36.4-1 «NP V PP.theme NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent over melon=Theme |
| 2 | **fall off** | infinitive | a gang of silly dodos *not said here* | a cliff one |  |  | after another |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.patient V NP.extent PP.source PP.goal»: agent=Patient one=Extent |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What is the truth?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:t1:2
# text = What is the truth?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the truth |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dodos are still alive in the Arctic

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:t1:o1:1
# text = Dodos are still alive in the Arctic
1	Dodos	dodo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	still	still	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	alive	alive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	Arctic	Arctic	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Dodos |  |  | the Arctic | still | alive *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dodos were tiny birds that lived in the snow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:t1:o2:1
# text = Dodos were tiny birds that lived in the snow
1	Dodos	dodo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	tiny	tiny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	lived	live	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	snow	snow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Dodos | tiny birds |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **live** | past | tiny birds |  |  | the snow |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in snow=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dodos really did die out by falling off cliffs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:t1:o3:1
# text = Dodos really did die out by falling off cliffs
1	Dodos	dodo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	really	really	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
3	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	die	die	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	out	out	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	falling	fall	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
8	off	off	ADP	RP	_	7	compound:prt	_	_
9	cliffs	cliff	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **die out** | past · do-support | Dodos |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 2 | **fall off** | gerund | Dodos *not said here* | cliffs |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.patient V NP.extent PP.source PP.goal»: agent=Patient cliff=Extent |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The dodo was not stupid; it just had no reason to fear people, and sailors' animals ate its eggs

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:181-strange-islands-komodo-dragons-the-dodo-red-crabs-kakapos-giants-and-dwarfs:t1:o4:1
# text = The dodo was not stupid; it just had no reason to fear people, and sailors' animals ate its eggs
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dodo	dodo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	stupid	stupid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
8	just	just	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
10	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	11	det	_	_
11	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	fear	fear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	acl	_	_
14	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
17	sailors	sailor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	'	's	PART	POS	_	17	case	_	_
19	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	nsubj	_	_
20	ate	eat	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
21	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	22	nmod:poss	_	_
22	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | past | the dodo |  |  |  |  | stupid *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | past | dodo | no reason |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Patient |
| 3 | **fear** | to-infinitive | dodo *not said here* | people |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer people=Stimulus |
| 4 | **eat** | past | sailors's animals | dodo's eggs |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent egg=Patient |

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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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