---
title: Why could spraying a field against aphids end up making the aphid pr… — Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpe… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why could spraying a field against aphids end up making the aphid problem worse? Test 9 · ★★★ of lesson 291 «Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food» 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
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/t9/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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/) / [Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpe…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/) / t9

# Test 9 · ★★★ · Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why could spraying a field against aphids end up making the aphid problem worse?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** aphids · **What happens:** spray, end up, make · **To what, where:** field, aphid problem

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★★★ of lesson 291 «Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food» 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/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:t9:1
# text = Why could spraying a field against aphids end up making the aphid problem worse?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	spraying	spray	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	field	field	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	against	against	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	aphids	aphid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	end	end	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
9	up	up	ADP	RP	_	8	compound:prt	_	_
10	making	make	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	xcomp	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	aphid	aphid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
14	worse	bad	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spray** | could |  | a field |  |  |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent field=Theme |
| 2 | **end up** | present | aphids |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **make** | gerund | aphids *not said here* | the aphid problem |  |  |  | bad *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset problem=Product |

<!-- .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 spray may kill the ladybirds that eat the aphids

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:t9:o1:1
# text = The spray may kill the ladybirds that eat the aphids
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	spray	spray	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	kill	kill	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	ladybirds	ladybird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	eat	eat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	aphids	aphid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **kill** | may | the spray | the ladybirds |  |  |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ladybird=Theme |
| 2 | **eat** | present | the ladybirds | the aphids |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent aphid=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Aphids love the smell of the spray and fly in from miles around

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:t9:o2:1
# text = Aphids love the smell of the spray and fly in from miles around
1	Aphids	aphid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	love	love	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	smell	smell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	spray	spray	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	fly	fly	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	conj	_	_
10	in	in	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	miles	mile	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
13	around	around	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **love** | present | Aphids | the smell of the spray |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer smell=Stimulus |
| 2 | **fly in** | infinitive | Aphids *not said here* |  |  |  |  | from miles; around *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme from mile=Trajectory |
| 3 | **smell** |  | the spray |  |  |  |  |  | nom smell «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sprays make the aphids grow bigger and hungrier

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:t9:o3:1
# text = Sprays make the aphids grow bigger and hungrier
1	Sprays	spray	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	aphids	aphid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	grow	grow	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	xcomp	_	_
6	bigger	big	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	hungrier	hungry	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | Sprays |  |  |  |  | big *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **grow** | present | the aphids |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ladybirds eat the spray and grow

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:t9:o4:1
# text = Ladybirds eat the spray and grow
1	Ladybirds	ladybird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	eat	eat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	spray	spray	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	grow	grow	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** | present | Ladybirds | the spray |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent spray=Patient |
| 2 | **grow** | present | Ladybirds *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpe…, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/t8/)
- next →: [Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpe…, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/t10/)
- ↑ back to [Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/)