---
title: Identify the principal reason for which the status of viruses as liv… — The microscopic world: viruses and vac… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which the status of viruses as living organisms remains a matter of scientific dispute. Exam question 1 of lesson 258 «The microscopic world: viruses and vaccines» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questio
---

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# Exam question 1 · The microscopic world: viruses and vaccines

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which the status of viruses as living organisms remains a matter of scientific dispute.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, status, scientific dispute · **What happens:** identify, remain, matter · **To what, where:** principal reason, matter

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 258 «The microscopic world: viruses and vaccines» 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/258-the-microscopic-world-viruses-and-vaccines/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:258-the-microscopic-world-viruses-and-vaccines:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which the status of viruses as living organisms remains a matter of scientific dispute.
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	14	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	status	status	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	viruses	virus	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
11	as	as	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	living	living	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	organisms	organism	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
14	remains	remain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
17	of	of	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	scientific	scientific	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	dispute	dispute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 | **remain** | present | the status of viruses as living organisms | a matter of scientific dispute |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn seem-109-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme matter=Attribute |
| 3 | **matter** |  | scientific dispute |  |  |  |  |  | nom matter «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

<!-- .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 are composed entirely of mineral matter, as crystals of salt are

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:258-the-microscopic-world-viruses-and-vaccines:e1:o1:1
# text = They are composed entirely of mineral matter, as crystals of salt are
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	composed	compose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	entirely	entirely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	mineral	mineral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
7	matter	matter	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	crystals	crystal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	salt	salt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
13	are	be	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **compose** | present · passive |  | They |  |  |  | entirely *property* | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Result |
| 2 | **matter** | present |  |  |  |  |  | of mineral; as crystals of salt | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **be** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are incapable of growth or reproduction save within a living cell

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:258-the-microscopic-world-viruses-and-vaccines:e1:o2:1
# text = They are incapable of growth or reproduction save within a living cell
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	cop	_	_
3	incapable	incapable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	growth	growth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	reproduction	reproduction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	save	save	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
9	within	within	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	living	living	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	cell	cell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | They |  |  |  |  | incapable *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **save** | present | growth or reproduction |  |  |  |  | within a living cell | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are larger than any bacterium

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:258-the-microscopic-world-viruses-and-vaccines:e1:o3:1
# text = They are larger than any bacterium
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	cop	_	_
3	larger	large	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
4	than	than	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	6	det	_	_
6	bacterium	bacterium	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | They |  |  |  |  | than any bacterium; large *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They persist for no longer than one second

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:258-the-microscopic-world-viruses-and-vaccines:e1:o4:1
# text = They persist for no longer than one second
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	persist	persist	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	no	no	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	2	advmod	_	_
6	than	than	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	second	second	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

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

<!-- 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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