---
title: Ascertain the reason for which the song thrush strikes snails agains… — Worms, snails and slugs · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which the song thrush strikes snails against a particular stone. Exam question 4 of lesson 217 «Worms, snails and slugs» 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 was wrong.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Worms, snails and slugs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which the song thrush strikes snails against a particular stone.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, song thrush · **What happens:** ascertain, strike · **To what, where:** reason, snails

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 217 «Worms, snails and slugs» 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/217-worms-snails-and-slugs/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:217-worms-snails-and-slugs:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which the song thrush strikes snails against a particular stone.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	song	song	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	thrush	thrush	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	strikes	strike	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl	_	_
10	snails	snail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
11	against	against	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	particular	particular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	stone	stone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **strike** | present | the song thrush | snails |  |  |  | for the reason; against a particular stone | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent snail=Instrument against stone=Patient |

<!-- .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 -->
Other birds are thereby warned to vacate the territory

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:217-worms-snails-and-slugs:e4:o1:1
# text = Other birds are thereby warned to vacate the territory
1	Other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	warned	warn	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	vacate	vacate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	territory	territory	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **warn** *speech: warn* | present · passive |  | Other birds |  |  |  | thereby *property* | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP how S\_INF»: subject=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **vacate** | to-infinitive | Other birds *not said here* | the territory |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme territory=Initial\_Location |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The snail is thereby encouraged to vacate its shell voluntarily

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:217-worms-snails-and-slugs:e4:o2:1
# text = The snail is thereby encouraged to vacate its shell voluntarily
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	snail	snail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	encouraged	encourage	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	vacate	vacate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	voluntarily	voluntarily	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **encourage** | present · passive |  | the snail |  |  |  | thereby *property* | vn advise-37.9 «NP V NP how S\_INF»: subject=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **vacate** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the snail *not said here* | snail's shell |  |  |  | voluntarily *property* | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme shell=Initial\_Location |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The shell is thereby fractured so that the soft body may be consumed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:217-worms-snails-and-slugs:e4:o3:1
# text = The shell is thereby fractured so that the soft body may be consumed
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	fractured	fracture	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	13	mark	_	_
7	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
11	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
12	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	consumed	consume	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fracture** | present · passive |  | the shell |  |  |  | thereby *property* | vn break-45.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **consume** | may · passive |  | the soft body |  |  |  |  | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: subject=Asset |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The mucus is thereby removed prior to the construction of a nest of shells

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:217-worms-snails-and-slugs:e4:o4:1
# text = The mucus is thereby removed prior to the construction of a nest of shells
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mucus	mucus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	removed	remove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	prior	prior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	9	case	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	construction	construction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	nest	nest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	shells	shell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present · passive |  | the mucus |  |  |  | prior the construction of a nest of shells; thereby *property* | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **construct** |  |  | a nest of shells |  |  |  |  | nom construction «act transitive»: of=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.

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- ← previous: [Worms, snails and slugs, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/217-worms-snails-and-slugs/e3/)
- next →: [Bees and wasps in the garden, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/218-bees-and-wasps-in-the-garden/t1/)
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