---
title: Identify the principal function of the comb-like leading edge and so… — How owls work: silent wings, turning h… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal function of the comb-like leading edge and soft fringes of the flight feathers of owls. Exam question 1 of lesson 302 «How owls work: silent wings, turning heads, pellets and owl myths» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of 
---

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# Exam question 1 · How owls work: silent wings, turning heads, pellets and ow…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal function of the comb-like leading edge and soft fringes of the flight feathers of owls.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, lead · **To what, where:** principal function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 302 «How owls work: silent wings, turning heads, pellets and owl myths» 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/302-how-owls-work-silent-wings-turning-heads-pellets-and-owl-myths/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:302-how-owls-work-silent-wings-turning-heads-pellets-and-owl-myths:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal function of the comb-like leading edge and soft fringes of the flight feathers of owls.
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	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
7	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	like	like	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
10	leading	lead	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	amod	_	_
11	edge	edge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	fringes	fringe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	conj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	flight	flight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	compound	_	_
18	feathers	feather	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nmod	_	_
19	of	of	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	owls	owl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	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 function of the like leading edge and soft fringes of the flight feathers of owls |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent function=Theme |
| 2 | **lead** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The storage of water for use in hot weather

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:302-how-owls-work-silent-wings-turning-heads-pellets-and-owl-myths:e1:o1:1
# text = The storage of water for use in hot weather
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	storage	storage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **store** |  |  | water |  | hot weather |  | for use | nom storage «act transitive»: of=patient for=obl in=place |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reduction of the noise of flight by breaking the air into minute swirls

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:302-how-owls-work-silent-wings-turning-heads-pellets-and-owl-myths:e1:o2:1
# text = The reduction of the noise of flight by breaking the air into minute swirls
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reduction	reduction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	noise	noise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	flight	flight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	breaking	break	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	into	into	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	minute	minute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	swirls	swirl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | gerund | the reduction of the noise of flight *not said here* | the air |  |  |  | into minute swirls *result* | vn break-45.1 «NP V NP PP.result»: agent=Agent air=Patient into swirl=Result |
| 2 | **reduce** |  |  | the noise of flight |  |  |  |  | nom reduction «act transitive»: of=patient |
| 3 | **noise** |  | flight |  |  |  |  |  | nom noise «event intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The production of a loud warning sound during flight, by which rivals are deterred

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:302-how-owls-work-silent-wings-turning-heads-pellets-and-owl-myths:e1:o3:1
# text = The production of a loud warning sound during flight, by which rivals are deterred
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	production	production	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	loud	loud	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	warning	warning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	during	during	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	flight	flight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	15	obl	_	_
13	rivals	rival	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
14	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux:pass	_	_
15	deterred	deter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **deter** | present · passive | the production of a loud warning sound during flight | rivals |  |  |  |  | vn discourage-64.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer subject=Eventuality |
| 2 | **produce** |  |  | a loud warning sound during flight |  |  |  |  | nom production «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The attraction of prey by means of a visual display

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:302-how-owls-work-silent-wings-turning-heads-pellets-and-owl-myths:e1:o4:1
# text = The attraction of prey by means of a visual display
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	attraction	attraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	prey	prey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	visual	visual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	display	display	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the attraction of prey |  |  |  |  | of a visual display | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **attract** |  |  | prey |  |  |  |  | nom attraction «phenomenon transitive»: of=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.

<!-- /div -->

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