---
title: Identify the principal means by which a tardigrade survives the desi… — The microscopic world: tardigrades, mi… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal means by which a tardigrade survives the desiccation of its habitat. Exam question 1 of lesson 259 «The microscopic world: tardigrades, mites, plankton and other tiny creatures» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the ques
---

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# Exam question 1 · The microscopic world: tardigrades, mites, plankton and ot…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal means by which a tardigrade survives the desiccation of its habitat.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, principal, tardigrade · **What happens:** identify, mean, survive, desiccate · **To what, where:** desiccation, habitat · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 259 «The microscopic world: tardigrades, mites, plankton and other tiny creatures» 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/259-the-microscopic-world-tardigrades-mites-plankton-and-other-tiny-creatures/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:259-the-microscopic-world-tardigrades-mites-plankton-and-other-tiny-creatures:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal means by which a tardigrade survives the desiccation of its habitat.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	tardigrade	tardigrade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	survives	survive	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	desiccation	desiccation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	habitat	habitat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the principal |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **survive** | present | a tardigrade | the desiccation of tardigrade's habitat |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme desiccation=Circumstance |
| 4 | **desiccate** |  |  | tardigrade's habitat |  |  |  |  | nom desiccation «state transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The contraction into a dry form termed a «tun», wherein its life processes very nearly cease

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:259-the-microscopic-world-tardigrades-mites-plankton-and-other-tiny-creatures:e1:o1:1
# text = The contraction into a dry form termed a «tun», wherein its life processes very nearly cease
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	contraction	contraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	into	into	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	dry	dry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	termed	term	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	tun	tun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
13	wherein	wherein	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	16	advmod	_	_
14	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	15	nmod:poss	_	_
15	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
16	processes	process	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	_
17	very	very	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
18	nearly	nearly	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
19	cease	cease	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **term** | past | the contraction into a dry form | a tun |  |  |  |  | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tun=Theme |
| 2 | **process** | present | contraction's life | cease |  |  |  | wherein *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The production of a waterproof shell of glass, within which it remains sealed until the rains return

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:259-the-microscopic-world-tardigrades-mites-plankton-and-other-tiny-creatures:e1:o2:1
# text = The production of a waterproof shell of glass, within which it remains sealed until the rains return
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	production	production	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	waterproof	waterproof	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	within	within	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	13	obl	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
13	remains	remain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	sealed	seal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
15	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	18	mark	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	rains	rain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	nsubj	_	_
18	return	return	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seal** | present · passive |  | the production of a waterproof shell of glass |  |  |  |  | vn tape-22.4 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **return** | present | the rains |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **produce** |  |  | a waterproof shell of glass |  |  |  |  | nom production «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Migration to a more humid locality

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:259-the-microscopic-world-tardigrades-mites-plankton-and-other-tiny-creatures:e1:o3:1
# text = Migration to a more humid locality
1	Migration	migration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
5	humid	humid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	locality	locality	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The excavation of a burrow beneath the moss

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:259-the-microscopic-world-tardigrades-mites-plankton-and-other-tiny-creatures:e1:o4:1
# text = The excavation of a burrow beneath the moss
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	excavation	excavation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	burrow	burrow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	moss	moss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **excavate** |  | a burrow |  |  |  |  | beneath the moss | nom excavation «act intransitive»: of=agent beneath=obl |

<!-- 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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