---
title: «my mate reckons pigeons are just flying rats, they're gross» What i… — Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city… · tree and pragmatics
description: «my mate reckons pigeons are just flying rats, they're gross» What is the best answer? Test 3 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 choice was ri
---

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# Test 3 · Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city cliffs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«my mate reckons pigeons are just flying rats, they're gross» What is the best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** mate, pigeons, best answer · **What happens:** reckon, fly, be · **To what, where:** rats · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 221 «Pigeons: head bobbing, homing and city cliffs» 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/221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs/#t3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:t3:1
# text = «my mate reckons pigeons are just flying rats, they're gross» What is the best answer?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	reckons	reckon	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	pigeons	pigeon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
6	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	flying	fly	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	ccomp	_	_
9	rats	rat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	gross	gross	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
15	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	13	conj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	19	amod	_	_
19	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reckon** *in a quote* | present | my mate |  |  |  |  |  | vn consider-29.9-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **fly** *in a quote* | present · progressive | pigeons | rats |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location rat=Theme |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | pigeons *= pigeon* |  |  |  |  | gross *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **is a** | present | the best answer |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
Wrong, pigeons are the same as parrots

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:t3:o1:1
# text = Wrong, pigeons are the same as parrots
1	Wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	pigeons	pigeon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	parrots	parrot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Wrong pigeons |  |  |  |  | as parrots; same *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unfair: they came from cliff doves and have lived with people for thousands of years

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:t3:o2:1
# text = Unfair: they came from cliff doves and have lived with people for thousands of years
1	Unfair	unfair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	4	punct	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	cliff	cliff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	doves	dove	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	lived	live	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
11	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	thousands	thousand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | they |  |  | cliff doves |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from dove=Initial\_Location |
| 2 | **live** | present · perfect |  |  |  |  |  | with people; for thousands of years | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme with people=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Right, pigeons are a kind of rat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:t3:o3:1
# text = Right, pigeons are a kind of rat
1	Right	right	INTJ	UH	_	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	pigeons	pigeon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	rat	rat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Right, pigeons carry every illness there is and are the dirtiest animals in any town

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:221-pigeons-head-bobbing-homing-and-city-cliffs:t3:o4:1
# text = Right, pigeons carry every illness there is and are the dirtiest animals in any town
1	Right	right	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	pigeons	pigeon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	carry	carry	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
6	illness	illness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	there	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	8	expl	_	_
8	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
10	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	dirtiest	dirty	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	13	amod	_	_
13	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	16	det	_	_
16	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | present | pigeons | every illness |  | any town |  |  | vn fit-54.3 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent illness=Value in town=Location |
| 2 | **be** | present | every illness *not said here* |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **is a** | present | pigeons *not said here* | the dirtiest animals |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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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