---
title: Why are the nests in bird's nest soup so expensive? — Animal builders: termite mounds, weave… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why are the nests in bird's nest soup so expensive? Test 9 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 question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Test 9 · Animal builders: termite mounds, weaver birds and other ne…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why are the nests in bird's nest soup so expensive?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** nests · **What happens:** be · **To what, where:** nest soup

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 of lesson 243 «Animal builders: termite mounds, weaver birds and other nest makers» 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/243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:t9:1
# text = Why are the nests in bird's nest soup so expensive?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	nests	nest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	nest	nest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	soup	soup	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	expensive	expensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the nests |  |  | bird's nest soup |  | expensive *property* | 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 -->
They are grown in labs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:t9:o1:1
# text = They are grown in labs
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	grown	grow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	labs	lab	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grow** | present · passive |  | They |  | labs |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are made of thin gold leaf, beaten flat by craftsmen in little workshops by the sea

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:t9:o2:1
# text = They are made of thin gold leaf, beaten flat by craftsmen in little workshops by the sea
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	gold	gold	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	leaf	leaf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	beaten	beat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	parataxis	_	_
10	flat	flat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	craftsmen	craftsman	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	workshops	workshop	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present · passive | the sea | They |  |  |  | of thin gold leaf | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset subject=Product |
| 2 | **beat** | participle |  |  |  | little workshops |  | by craftsmen; flat *property* | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme by craftsman=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They come only from penguins

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:t9:o3:1
# text = They come only from penguins
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	come	come	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	penguins	penguin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | present | They |  |  |  |  | from penguins | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from penguin=Initial\_Location |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are made of swiftlet spit and must be collected carefully so the birds can still breed

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:243-animal-builders-termite-mounds-weaver-birds-and-other-nest-makers:t9:o4:1
# text = They are made of swiftlet spit and must be collected carefully so the birds can still breed
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	swiftlet	swiftlet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	spit	spit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	collected	collect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	_
11	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
12	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	nsubj	_	_
15	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
16	still	still	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
17	breed	breed	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present · passive |  | They |  |  |  | of swiftlet spit | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |
| 2 | **collect** | must · passive |  |  |  |  |  | carefully *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V» |
| 3 | **breed** | can | the birds |  |  |  | still |  | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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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