---
title: «if giraffes needed long necks so bad, why's the okapi got a short o… — Evolution: why giraffes really have lo… · tree and pragmatics
description: «if giraffes needed long necks so bad, why's the okapi got a short one» What is the best answer? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 278 «Evolution: why giraffes really have long necks» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova
---

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# Test 5 · ★★ · Evolution: why giraffes really have long necks

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«if giraffes needed long necks so bad, why's the okapi got a short one» What is the best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** giraffes, okapi, best answer · **What happens:** need, be · **To what, where:** long necks · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 278 «Evolution: why giraffes really have long necks» 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/278-evolution-why-giraffes-really-have-long-necks/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:278-evolution-why-giraffes-really-have-long-necks:t5:1
# text = «if giraffes needed long necks so bad, why's the okapi got a short one» What is the best answer?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
3	giraffes	giraffe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	needed	need	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	necks	neck	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
10	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	14	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	okapi	okapi	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
14	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
19	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	14	parataxis	_	_
20	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
22	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	23	amod	_	_
23	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** *in a quote* | past | giraffes | long necks |  |  |  | bad *property* | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Pivot neck=Theme |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | the okapi |  |  |  |  | get *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The okapi is a baby giraffe

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:278-evolution-why-giraffes-really-have-long-necks:t5:o1:1
# text = The okapi is a baby giraffe
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	okapi	okapi	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	giraffe	giraffe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the okapi | a baby giraffe |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The okapi's neck was bitten short by lions, and its babies were born that way

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:278-evolution-why-giraffes-really-have-long-necks:t5:o2:1
# text = The okapi's neck was bitten short by lions, and its babies were born that way
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	okapi	okapi	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	neck	neck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	bitten	bite	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	lions	lion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
12	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	babies	baby	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
14	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	born	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	advcl	_	_
16	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	17	det	_	_
17	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bite** | past · passive | lions | the okapi's neck |  |  |  | short *property* | vn swat-18.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |
| 2 | **bear** | past · passive |  | neck's babies |  |  |  | that way *obl:unmarked* | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The okapi forgot to stretch

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:278-evolution-why-giraffes-really-have-long-necks:t5:o3:1
# text = The okapi forgot to stretch
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	okapi	okapi	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	forgot	forget	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	stretch	stretch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forget** | past | the okapi |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **stretch** | to-infinitive | the okapi *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn bend-45.2 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The okapi lives in thick forest, where a short neck fits its way of life

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:278-evolution-why-giraffes-really-have-long-necks:t5:o4:1
# text = The okapi lives in thick forest, where a short neck fits its way of life
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	okapi	okapi	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lives	live	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	forest	forest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	12	advmod	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	neck	neck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	fits	fit	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
13	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | the okapi |  |  | thick forest |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in forest=Location |
| 2 | **fit** | present | a short neck | neck's way of life |  |  |  |  | vn adjust-26.9 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent way=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.

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