---
title: Ascertain the function of the spines borne by a cactus. — Deserts of the world: fennec foxes, fo… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the function of the spines borne by a cactus. Exam question 3 of lesson 182 «Deserts of the world: fennec foxes, fog-drinking beetles, camels and silver ants» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's 
---

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# Exam question 3 · Deserts of the world: fennec foxes, fog-drinking beetles,…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the function of the spines borne by a cactus.

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

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 182 «Deserts of the world: fennec foxes, fog-drinking beetles, camels and silver ants» 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/182-deserts-of-the-world-fennec-foxes-fog-drinking-beetles-camels-and-silver-ants/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:182-deserts-of-the-world-fennec-foxes-fog-drinking-beetles-camels-and-silver-ants:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the function of the spines borne by a cactus.
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	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	spines	spine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
7	borne	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	cactus	cactus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	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 spines |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic |
| 2 | **bear** | participle |  | the spines *not said here* |  |  |  | by a cactus | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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 -->
They are roots which have emerged above ground

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:182-deserts-of-the-world-fennec-foxes-fog-drinking-beetles-camels-and-silver-ants:e3:o1:1
# text = They are roots which have emerged above ground
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	roots	root	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
5	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	emerged	emerge	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	above	above	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | They | roots |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **emerge** | present · perfect | roots |  |  | ground |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme above ground=Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are modified leaves which shade the plant and deter herbivores

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:182-deserts-of-the-world-fennec-foxes-fog-drinking-beetles-camels-and-silver-ants:e3:o2:1
# text = They are modified leaves which shade the plant and deter herbivores
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	modified	modify	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
4	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	shade	shade	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	plant	plant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	deter	deter	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
11	herbivores	herbivore	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **modify** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **is a** | present | They | modified leaves |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **shade** | present | modified leaves | the plant |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent plant=Beneficiary |
| 4 | **deter** | present | modified leaves *not said here* | herbivores |  |  |  |  | vn discourage-64.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer herbivore=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They serve as organs of reproduction

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:182-deserts-of-the-world-fennec-foxes-fog-drinking-beetles-camels-and-silver-ants:e3:o3:1
# text = They serve as organs of reproduction
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	serve	serve	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	as	as	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	organs	organ	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	reproduction	reproduction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **serve** | present | They |  |  |  |  | as organs of reproduction | vn masquerade-29.6-2 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Agent as organ=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They absorb rainwater directly from the air

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:182-deserts-of-the-world-fennec-foxes-fog-drinking-beetles-camels-and-silver-ants:e3:o4:1
# text = They absorb rainwater directly from the air
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	absorb	absorb	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	rainwater	rainwater	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	directly	directly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **absorb** | present | They | rainwater |  | the air |  | directly *property* | vn absorb-39.8 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Goal rainwater=Theme from air=Source |

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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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