--- title: Why do seals need a thick layer of blubber? — Dolphins, porpoises and seals · tree and pragmatics description: Why do seals need a thick layer of blubber? Test 11 · ★ of lesson 27 «Dolphins, porpoises and seals» 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. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/t11/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/) / [Dolphins, porpoises and seals](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/) / t11 # Test 11 · ★ · Dolphins, porpoises and seals Why do seals need a thick layer of blubber? **Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** seals · **What happens:** need · **To what, where:** thick layer This is test 11 · ★ of lesson 27 «Dolphins, porpoises and seals» 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/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/#t11). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t11:1 # text = Why do seals need a thick layer of blubber? 1 Why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 4 advmod _ _ 2 do do AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 3 seals seal NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 nsubj _ _ 4 need need VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 6 thick thick ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 amod _ _ 7 layer layer NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 blubber blubber NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 10 ? ? PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **need** | present · do-support | seals | a thick layer of blubber | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot layer=Theme | 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} It makes them heavy enough to sink ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t11:o1:1 # text = It makes them heavy enough to sink 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 makes make VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 obj _ _ 4 heavy heavy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 xcomp _ _ 5 enough enough ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 7 sink sink VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 advcl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **make** | present | It | them *= they* | | | | heavy *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.material V NP»: agent=Material they=Product | | 2 | **sink** | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | ### Option 2 {#o2} It helps them walk about on land ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t11:o2:1 # text = It helps them walk about on land 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 helps help VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 obj _ _ 4 walk walk VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 2 xcomp _ _ 5 about about ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 6 on on ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 7 land land NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **help** | present | It | them *= they* | | | | | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent they=Beneficiary clause=Theme | | 2 | **walk** | infinitive | them *= they* *not said here* | | | land | | about *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on land=Trajectory | ### Option 3 {#o3} It stores spare whiskers for later ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t11:o3:1 # text = It stores spare whiskers for later 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 stores store VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 spare spare ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 whiskers whisker NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obj _ _ 5 for for ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 later late ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **store** | present | It | spare whiskers | | | | | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent whisker=Theme | ### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4} It keeps them warm in icy water ```conllu # sent_id = question:biology:27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals:t11:o4:1 # text = It keeps them warm in icy water 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 keeps keep VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 obj _ _ 4 warm warm ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 xcomp _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 icy icy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 amod _ _ 7 water water NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **keep** | present | It | them *= they* | | icy water | | warm *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent they=Theme in water=Location | **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. - ← previous: [Dolphins, porpoises and seals, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/t10/) - next →: [Dolphins, porpoises and seals, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/e1/) - ↑ back to [Dolphins, porpoises and seals](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/27-dolphins-porpoises-and-seals/)