---
title: «why don't trees just keep growing taller forever» What is the best… — Plants deeper: the oldest, tallest and… · tree and pragmatics
description: «why don't trees just keep growing taller forever» What is the best answer? Test 2 of lesson 253 «Plants deeper: the oldest, tallest and strangest trees» 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 wron
---

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# Test 2 · Plants deeper: the oldest, tallest and strangest trees

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«why don't trees just keep growing taller forever» What is the best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** best answer · **What happens:** do, keep, grow, be · **To what, where:** trees

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 of lesson 253 «Plants deeper: the oldest, tallest and strangest trees» 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/253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees/#t2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees:t2:1
# text = «why don't trees just keep growing taller forever» What is the best answer?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
3	do	do	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	keep	keep	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	growing	grow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	xcomp	_	_
9	taller	tall	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	xcomp	_	_
10	forever	forever	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
12	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	obl	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	16	amod	_	_
16	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** *in a quote* | present |  | trees |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tree=Eventuality |
| 2 | **keep** *in a quote* | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **grow** *in a quote* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | forever, tall *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **is a** | present | the best answer |  |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
They hit the clouds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees:t2:o1:1
# text = They hit the clouds
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	hit	hit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	clouds	cloud	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hit** | past | They | the clouds |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme cloud=Co-Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The wind cuts off the tops each year and they have to start again from the bottom

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees:t2:o2:1
# text = The wind cuts off the tops each year and they have to start again from the bottom
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	cuts	cut	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	off	off	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	tops	top	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
7	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
10	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	start	start	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	xcomp	_	_
14	again	again	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
15	from	from	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	bottom	bottom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cut off** | present | the wind | the tops |  |  | year |  | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector top=Eventuality |
| 2 | **have** | present | tops *= top* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **start** | to-infinitive | tops *= top* *not said here* |  |  | the bottom | again |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Water cannot be pulled up high enough fast enough above about 120 to 130 metres

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees:t2:o3:1
# text = Water cannot be pulled up high enough fast enough above about 120 to 130 metres
1	Water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	pulled	pull	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	up	up	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	high	high	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	5	advmod	_	_
8	enough	enough	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
9	fast	fast	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	5	advmod	_	_
10	enough	enough	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
11	above	above	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
12	about	about	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
13	120	120	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	16	nummod	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	130	130	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	13	nmod	_	_
16	metres	metre	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **pull up** | can · passive |  | Water |  | 120 metres |  | enough, fast, high *property* | vn push-12-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Birds land on the tops and break them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees:t2:o4:1
# text = Birds land on the tops and break them
1	Birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	land	land	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	tops	top	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	break	break	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	conj	_	_
8	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **land** | present | Birds |  |  | the tops |  |  | vn pocket-9.10-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent on top=Destination |
| 2 | **break** | infinitive | Birds *not said here* | Birds *= bird* |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer they=Patient |

<!-- 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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- ↑ back to [Plants deeper: the oldest, tallest and strangest trees](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/253-plants-deeper-the-oldest-tallest-and-strangest-trees/)