---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Plants deeper: roots and how they drin… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the principal functions of a root? Exam question 1 of lesson 250 «Plants deeper: roots and how they drink, hold and push» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of eac
---

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# Exam question 1 · Plants deeper: roots and how they drink, hold and push

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the principal functions of a root?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** principal functions

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 250 «Plants deeper: roots and how they drink, hold and push» 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/250-plants-deeper-roots-and-how-they-drink-hold-and-push/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:250-plants-deeper-roots-and-how-they-drink-hold-and-push:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the principal functions of a root?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	functions	function	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	root	root	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | the principal functions of a root |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It serves solely to store food for the following year

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:250-plants-deeper-roots-and-how-they-drink-hold-and-push:e1:o1:1
# text = It serves solely to store food for the following year
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	serves	serve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	store	store	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
6	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	amod	_	_
10	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **serve** | present | It |  |  |  |  | solely *property* | vn masquerade-29.6-2 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **store** | to-infinitive |  | food |  |  | year |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Theme |
| 3 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It produces the seeds by which the plant is propagated

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:250-plants-deeper-roots-and-how-they-drink-hold-and-push:e1:o2:1
# text = It produces the seeds by which the plant is propagated
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	produces	produce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	seeds	seed	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	plant	plant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	propagated	propagate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **produce** | present | It | the seeds |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent seed=Result |
| 2 | **propagate** | present · passive |  | the plant |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_modes\_being-47.2 «NP.location V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It manufactures food from sunlight in the manner of a leaf

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:250-plants-deeper-roots-and-how-they-drink-hold-and-push:e1:o3:1
# text = It manufactures food from sunlight in the manner of a leaf
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	manufactures	manufacture	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	sunlight	sunlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	manner	manner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	leaf	leaf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **manufacture** | present | It | food |  | sunlight |  | in the manner of a leaf | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP PP.material»: agent=Agent food=Result from sunlight=Material |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It anchors the plant and absorbs water together with dissolved minerals

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:250-plants-deeper-roots-and-how-they-drink-hold-and-push:e1:o4:1
# text = It anchors the plant and absorbs water together with dissolved minerals
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	anchors	anchor	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	plant	plant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	absorbs	absorb	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	together	together	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	dissolved	dissolve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	minerals	mineral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **anchor** | present | It | the plant |  |  |  |  | vn tape-22.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent plant=Patient |
| 2 | **absorb** | present |  | water |  |  |  | with dissolved minerals; together *property* | vn absorb-39.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Goal water=Theme |
| 3 | **dissolve** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn break-45.1 «NP.patient V»: agent=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.

<!-- /div -->

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