---
title: Ascertain the reason for which the young of the pigeon are seldom ob… — Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which the young of the pigeon are seldom observed by the public. Exam question 4 of lesson 221 «Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city cliffs» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's c
---

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# Exam question 4 · Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city cliffs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which the young of the pigeon are seldom observed by the public.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, public · **What happens:** ascertain, observe · **To what, where:** reason, young

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 221 «Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city cliffs» 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/221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which the young of the pigeon are seldom observed by the public.
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	13	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	young	young	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	pigeon	pigeon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
12	seldom	seldom	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
13	observed	observe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
14	by	by	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	public	public	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **observe** | present · passive | the public | the young of the pigeon |  |  |  | for the reason; seldom *property* | vn investigate-35.4 «NP V NP.location PP.theme»: agent=Agent subject=Location 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The young remain concealed within the nest until nearly fully grown

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:e4:o1:1
# text = The young remain concealed within the nest until nearly fully grown
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	young	young	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	remain	remain	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	concealed	conceal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	within	within	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	nest	nest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
9	nearly	nearly	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
10	fully	fully	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	grown	grow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **conceal** | present · passive |  | the young |  |  |  | within the nest | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **grow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | fully, nearly *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The young are reared exclusively beneath the ground

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:e4:o2:1
# text = The young are reared exclusively beneath the ground
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	young	young	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	reared	rear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rear** | present · passive |  | the young |  |  |  | beneath the ground; exclusively *property* | vn rear-26.2.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The young are hatched in a fully adult condition

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:e4:o3:1
# text = The young are hatched in a fully adult condition
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	young	young	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	hatched	hatch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	fully	fully	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	adult	adult	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	condition	condition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hatch** | present · passive |  | the young |  | a adult condition |  |  | vn grow-26.2.1 «NP V NP.product PP.patient»: subject=Product |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The young are removed at hatching by human keepers and reared in lofts

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:e4:o4:1
# text = The young are removed at hatching by human keepers and reared in lofts
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	young	young	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	removed	remove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	hatching	hatching	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	human	human	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	keepers	keeper	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	reared	rear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	lofts	loft	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present · passive | human keepers | the young |  | hatching |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **rear** | participle | human keepers *not said here* |  |  | lofts |  |  | vn rear-26.2.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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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: [Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs/e3/)
- next →: [Rats and mice in the city, and the ele…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/222-rats-and-mice-in-the-city-and-the-elephant-and-mouse-myth/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city cliffs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs/)