---
title: Why does a tortoise need such thick, pillar-like legs? — Turtles and tortoises · tree and pragmatics
description: Why does a tortoise need such thick, pillar-like legs? Test 12 of lesson 31 «Turtles and tortoises» 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 was wrong.
---

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# Test 12 · Turtles and tortoises

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why does a tortoise need such thick, pillar-like legs?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** tortoise · **What happens:** need · **To what, where:** such thick like legs

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This is test 12 of lesson 31 «Turtles and tortoises» 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/31-turtles-and-tortoises/#t12).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:t12:1
# text = Why does a tortoise need such thick, pillar-like legs?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	tortoise	tortoise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
7	thick	thick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
9	pillar	pillar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	like	like	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	legs	leg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present · do-support | a tortoise | such thick like legs |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot leg=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
To dig deep tunnels under the sea

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:t12:o1:1
# text = To dig deep tunnels under the sea
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	dig	dig	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	tunnels	tunnel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	under	under	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dig** | to-infinitive |  | deep tunnels |  | the sea |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent tunnel=Theme under sea=Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To hold up a heavy body on dry ground

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:t12:o2:1
# text = To hold up a heavy body on dry ground
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	hold	hold	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	dry	dry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold up** | to-infinitive |  | a heavy body |  | dry ground |  |  | vn support-15.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot body=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To jump over predators

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:t12:o3:1
# text = To jump over predators
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	jump	jump	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	over	over	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	predators	predator	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **jump** | to-infinitive |  |  |  | predators |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme over predator=Trajectory |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To swim fast like a seal

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:31-turtles-and-tortoises:t12:o4:1
# text = To swim fast like a seal
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	swim	swim	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	fast	fast	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	2	advmod	_	_
4	like	like	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	seal	seal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swim** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | like a seal; fast *property* | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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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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