---
title: Identify the reason for which male bees are incapable of stinging. — Bees beyond the hive: bumblebees, soli… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the reason for which male bees are incapable of stinging. Exam question 1 of lesson 305 «Bees beyond the hive: bumblebees, solitary bees, carpenter bees and stingless bees» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each op
---

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# Exam question 1 · Bees beyond the hive: bumblebees, solitary bees, carpenter…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the reason for which male bees are incapable of stinging.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, male bees · **What happens:** identify, be, sting · **To what, where:** reason

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 305 «Bees beyond the hive: bumblebees, solitary bees, carpenter bees and stingless bees» 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/305-bees-beyond-the-hive-bumblebees-solitary-bees-carpenter-bees-and-stingless-bees/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:305-bees-beyond-the-hive-bumblebees-solitary-bees-carpenter-bees-and-stingless-bees:e1:1
# text = Identify the reason for which male bees are incapable of stinging.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
6	male	male	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
8	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	incapable	incapable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl	_	_
10	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
11	stinging	sting	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	9	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	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 reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | male bees |  |  |  |  | for the reason; incapable *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **sting** | gerund | male bees *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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 -->
Male bees possess a sting too short to penetrate skin

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:305-bees-beyond-the-hive-bumblebees-solitary-bees-carpenter-bees-and-stingless-bees:e1:o1:1
# text = Male bees possess a sting too short to penetrate skin
1	Male	male	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	possess	possess	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	sting	sting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	too	too	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	penetrate	penetrate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **possess** | present | Male bees | a sting |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot sting=Theme |
| 2 | **penetrate** | to-infinitive | Male bees *not said here* | skin |  |  |  |  | vn poke-19 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent skin=Patient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Male bees are forbidden to sting by the queen

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:305-bees-beyond-the-hive-bumblebees-solitary-bees-carpenter-bees-and-stingless-bees:e1:o2:1
# text = Male bees are forbidden to sting by the queen
1	Male	male	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	forbidden	forbid	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	sting	sting	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	queen	queen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forbid** | present · passive |  | Male bees |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **sting** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | by the queen | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The sting is a modified egg-laying organ possessed only by females

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:305-bees-beyond-the-hive-bumblebees-solitary-bees-carpenter-bees-and-stingless-bees:e1:o3:1
# text = The sting is a modified egg-laying organ possessed only by females
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	sting	sting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
5	modified	modify	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
6	egg	egg	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	laying	lay	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	amod	_	_
9	organ	organ	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	possessed	possess	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	acl	_	_
11	only	only	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
12	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	females	female	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **modify** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **lay** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** | present | the sting | a modified laying organ |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **possess** | participle |  | a modified laying organ *not said here* |  |  |  | by females | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Male bees shed their stings upon reaching adulthood

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:305-bees-beyond-the-hive-bumblebees-solitary-bees-carpenter-bees-and-stingless-bees:e1:o4:1
# text = Male bees shed their stings upon reaching adulthood
1	Male	male	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	shed	shed	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	stings	sting	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	upon	upon	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	reaching	reach	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
8	adulthood	adulthood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shed** | past | Male bees | bees's stings |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location sting=Source |
| 2 | **reach** | gerund | Male bees *not said here* | adulthood |  |  |  |  | vn body\_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent adulthood=Theme |
| 3 | **sting** |  | bees *= bee* |  |  |  |  |  | nom sting «state transitive»: poss=agent |

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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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