---
title: «why the hell is that bird sat on a buffalo, piss off bird» What is… — Team players and partners: meerkats, n… · tree and pragmatics
description: «why the hell is that bird sat on a buffalo, piss off bird» What is it doing? Test 7 of lesson 241 «Team players and partners: meerkats, naked mole rats, huddles, cleaners (and do lemmings jump?)» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question
---

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# Test 7 · Team players and partners: meerkats, naked mole rats, hudd…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«why the hell is that bird sat on a buffalo, piss off bird» What is it doing?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** hell, bird · **What happens:** be, sit, piss off, do · **To what, where:** bird, buffalo

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 of lesson 241 «Team players and partners: meerkats, naked mole rats, huddles, cleaners (and do lemmings jump?)» 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/241-team-players-and-partners-meerkats-naked-mole-rats-huddles-cleaners-and-lemmings/#t7).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:241-team-players-and-partners-meerkats-naked-mole-rats-huddles-cleaners-and-lemmings:t7:1
# text = «why the hell is that bird sat on a buffalo, piss off bird» What is it doing?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	hell	hell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	7	det	_	_
7	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	sat	sit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	buffalo	buffalo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
13	piss	piss	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	_
14	off	off	ADP	RP	_	13	compound:prt	_	_
15	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
17	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	20	obj	_	_
18	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	20	aux	_	_
19	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	20	nsubj	_	_
20	doing	do	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | the hell | that bird |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **sit** *in a quote* | past | that bird |  |  | a buffalo |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent on buffalo=Location |
| 3 | **piss off** *in a quote* | infinitive | that bird *not said here* | bird |  |  |  |  | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent bird=Theme |
| 4 | **do** | present · progressive | hell |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Eating ticks and flies, and sometimes drinking blood from wounds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:241-team-players-and-partners-meerkats-naked-mole-rats-huddles-cleaners-and-lemmings:t7:o1:1
# text = Eating ticks and flies, and sometimes drinking blood from wounds
1	Eating	eat	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	ticks	tick	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	flies	fly	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	sometimes	sometimes	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	8	advmod	_	_
8	drinking	drink	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
9	blood	blood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
10	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	wounds	wound	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** | gerund |  | ticks and flies |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tick=Patient |
| 2 | **drink** | gerund |  | blood |  | wounds |  | sometimes *property* | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent blood=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Laying its eggs safely in the thick warm fur along the buffalo's back

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:241-team-players-and-partners-meerkats-naked-mole-rats-huddles-cleaners-and-lemmings:t7:o2:1
# text = Laying its eggs safely in the thick warm fur along the buffalo's back
1	Laying	lay	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	safely	safely	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	fur	fur	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
10	along	along	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	buffalo	buffalo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	's	's	PART	POS	_	12	case	_	_
14	back	back	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lay** | gerund |  | its eggs |  | the thick warm fur |  | along the buffalo's back; safely *property* | vn put\_spatial-9.2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent egg=Theme in fur=Destination |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Waiting for the buffalo to die

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:241-team-players-and-partners-meerkats-naked-mole-rats-huddles-cleaners-and-lemmings:t7:o3:1
# text = Waiting for the buffalo to die
1	Waiting	wait	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	for	for	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	buffalo	buffalo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	die	die	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | for the buffalo | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **die** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Steering the buffalo like a rider on a horse

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:241-team-players-and-partners-meerkats-naked-mole-rats-huddles-cleaners-and-lemmings:t7:o4:1
# text = Steering the buffalo like a rider on a horse
1	Steering	steer	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	buffalo	buffalo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	like	like	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	rider	rider	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **steer** | gerund |  | the buffalo |  |  |  | like a rider; on a horse | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent buffalo=Theme on horse=Destination |

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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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