---
title: Ascertain the principal advantage obtained by geese flying in a V fo… — Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the principal advantage obtained by geese flying in a V formation. Exam question 3 of lesson 240 «Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the alpha myth and hunting together» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each opti
---

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# Exam question 3 · Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the alpha myth and hunt…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the principal advantage obtained by geese flying in a V formation.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, geese · **What happens:** ascertain, obtain, fly · **To what, where:** principal advantage, V formation

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 240 «Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the alpha myth and hunting together» 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/240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the principal advantage obtained by geese flying in a V formation.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	advantage	advantage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	obtained	obtain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	geese	goose	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
8	flying	fly	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	V	v	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	formation	formation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	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 principal advantage |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent advantage=Topic |
| 2 | **obtain** | participle |  | the principal advantage *not said here* |  |  |  | by geese | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 3 | **fly** | gerund | geese *not said here* |  |  | a V formation |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in formation=Location |

<!-- .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 -->
Intimidation of birds of prey, the formation resembling a single bird of very great size

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together:e3:o1:1
# text = Intimidation of birds of prey, the formation resembling a single bird of very great size
1	Intimidation	intimidation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	nmod	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	formation	formation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
9	resembling	resemble	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	very	very	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	size	size	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **resemble** | gerund | the formation *not said here* | a single bird of great size |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **intimidate** |  |  | birds of prey |  |  |  |  | nom intimidation «act transitive»: of=patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A reduction in the energy expended, each bird being lifted by the air from the bird in front

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together:e3:o2:1
# text = A reduction in the energy expended, each bird being lifted by the air from the bird in front
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reduction	reduction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	energy	energy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	expended	expend	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	lifted	lift	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	conj	_	_
12	by	by	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	from	from	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **expend** | past | a reduction in the energy |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **lift** | gerund · passive | the air | each bird |  | front |  | from the bird | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location PP.destination»: agent=Agent subject=Theme from bird=Destination in front=Initial\_Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Protection of the leading bird from cold

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together:e3:o3:1
# text = Protection of the leading bird from cold
1	Protection	protection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	leading	lead	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	cold	cold	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lead** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition |
| 2 | **protect** |  |  | the leading bird from cold |  |  |  |  | nom protection «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Improved observation of the ground

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together:e3:o4:1
# text = Improved observation of the ground
1	Improved	improve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	amod	_	_
2	observation	observation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **improve** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **observe** |  |  | the ground |  |  |  |  | nom observation «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: [Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together/e2/)
- next →: [Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Wolves and teamwork: family packs, the alpha myth and hunting together](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/240-wolves-and-teamwork-family-packs-the-alpha-myth-and-hunting-together/)