---
title: Identify the principal cause of the increase in dark peppered moths… — Natural selection we can watch: moths,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal cause of the increase in dark peppered moths near industrial cities. Exam question 1 of lesson 279 «Natural selection we can watch: moths, finches, germs and tuskless elephants» 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 · Natural selection we can watch: moths, finches, germs and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal cause of the increase in dark peppered moths near industrial cities.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, pepper, cause · **To what, where:** principal cause, increase

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 279 «Natural selection we can watch: moths, finches, germs and tuskless elephants» 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/279-natural-selection-we-can-watch-moths-finches-germs-and-tuskless-elephants/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:279-natural-selection-we-can-watch-moths-finches-germs-and-tuskless-elephants:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal cause of the increase in dark peppered moths near industrial cities.
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	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	increase	increase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
10	peppered	pepper	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
12	near	near	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	industrial	industrial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	cities	city	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	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* | the principal cause of the increase in dark peppered moths near industrial cities |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent cause=Theme |
| 2 | **pepper** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn butter-9.9 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **cause** |  |  | the increase in dark peppered moths near industrial cities |  |  |  |  | nom cause «event 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 -->
Dark individuals were concealed upon soot-darkened trees and were less frequently eaten by birds

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:279-natural-selection-we-can-watch-moths-finches-germs-and-tuskless-elephants:e1:o1:1
# text = Dark individuals were concealed upon soot-darkened trees and were less frequently eaten by birds
1	Dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	individuals	individual	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	concealed	conceal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	soot	soot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	darkened	darken	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
11	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux:pass	_	_
12	less	less	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	14	advmod	_	_
13	frequently	frequently	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
14	eaten	eat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
15	by	by	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl:agent	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **conceal** | past · passive |  | Dark individuals |  | darkened trees |  |  | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP PP.location»: subject=Patient upon tree=Location |
| 2 | **darken** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **eat** | past · passive | birds |  |  |  |  | frequently, less *property* | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pale moths migrated to the countryside of their own accord

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:279-natural-selection-we-can-watch-moths-finches-germs-and-tuskless-elephants:e1:o2:1
# text = Pale moths migrated to the countryside of their own accord
1	Pale	pale	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	migrated	migrate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	countryside	countryside	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
9	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	accord	accord	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **migrate** | participle |  | Pale moths *not said here* |  |  |  | to the countryside of moths's own accord | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dark moths were deliberately bred by naturalists

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:279-natural-selection-we-can-watch-moths-finches-germs-and-tuskless-elephants:e1:o3:1
# text = Dark moths were deliberately bred by naturalists
1	Dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	deliberately	deliberately	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	bred	breed	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	naturalists	naturalist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **breed** | past · passive | naturalists | Dark moths |  |  |  | deliberately *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Factory smoke chemically altered the colour of individual moths

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:279-natural-selection-we-can-watch-moths-finches-germs-and-tuskless-elephants:e1:o4:1
# text = Factory smoke chemically altered the colour of individual moths
1	Factory	factory	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	chemically	chemically	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	altered	alter	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	individual	individual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	moths	moth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **alter** | past | Factory smoke | the colour of individual moths |  |  |  | chemically *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent colour=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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