---
title: Identify the principal reason for which magnetic termites align thei… — Animal builders: termite mounds, weave… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which magnetic termites align their mounds upon a north-south axis. Exam question 2 of lesson 243 «Animal builders: termite mounds, weaver birds and other nest makers» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the que
---

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# Exam question 2 · Animal builders: termite mounds, weaver birds and other ne…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which magnetic termites align their mounds upon a north-south axis.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, magnetic termites · **What happens:** identify, align · **To what, where:** principal reason, mounds

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 243 «Animal builders: termite mounds, weaver birds and other nest makers» 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/243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which magnetic termites align their mounds upon a north-south axis.
1	Identify	identify	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	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
7	magnetic	magnetic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	termites	termite	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	align	align	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
10	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	mounds	mound	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
12	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
14	north	north	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	south	South	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	axis	axis	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **align** | present | magnetic termites | termites's mounds |  |  |  | for the principal reason; upon a south axis | 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The facilitation of navigation by foraging workers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:e2:o1:1
# text = The facilitation of navigation by foraging workers
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	facilitation	facilitation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	navigation	navigation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	foraging	forage	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
7	workers	worker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forage** | gerund | the facilitation of navigation *not said here* | workers |  |  |  |  | vn rummage-35.5-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent worker=Location |
| 2 | **facilitate** |  |  | navigation |  |  |  |  | nom facilitation «state transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The minimisation of exposure to the intense midday sun

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:e2:o2:1
# text = The minimisation of exposure to the intense midday sun
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	minimisation	minimisation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	exposure	exposure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	intense	intense	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	midday	midday	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	sun	sun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **minimise** |  |  | exposure |  |  |  | to the intense midday sun | nom minimisation «act transitive»: of=patient to=obl |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The attraction of mates from distant colonies

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:e2:o3:1
# text = The attraction of mates from distant colonies
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	attraction	attraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	mates	mate	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	distant	distant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	colonies	colony	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **attract** |  |  | mates from distant colonies |  |  |  |  | nom attraction «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The collection of rainwater from the prevailing winds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:e2:o4:1
# text = The collection of rainwater from the prevailing winds
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	collection	collection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	rainwater	rainwater	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	prevailing	prevail	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	amod	_	_
8	winds	wind	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prevail** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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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- ↑ back to [Animal builders: termite mounds, weaver birds and other nest makers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers/)