---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the formation of geese in flight? Exam question 2 of lesson 33 «Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's 
---

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# Exam question 2 · Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the formation of geese in flight?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** formation

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 33 «Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight» 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/33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight:e2:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the formation of geese in flight?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	formation	formation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	geese	goose	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	flight	flight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | the formation of geese in flight |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 formation serves solely for display

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight:e2:o1:1
# text = The formation serves solely for display
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	formation	formation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	serves	serve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	display	display	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **serve** | present | the formation |  |  |  |  | for display; solely *property* | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent for display=Recipient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The leading bird bears no additional burden

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight:e2:o2:1
# text = The leading bird bears no additional burden
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	leading	lead	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	amod	_	_
3	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	bears	bear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	7	det	_	_
6	additional	additional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	burden	burden	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lead** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each bird benefits from rising air generated by the wingtip of the bird ahead

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight:e2:o3:1
# text = Each bird benefits from rising air generated by the wingtip of the bird ahead
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	benefits	benefit	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	rising	rise	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	amod	_	_
6	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	generated	generate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	wingtip	wingtip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
14	ahead	ahead	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **benefit** | present | each bird |  |  | rising air |  |  | vn benefit-72.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Beneficiary from air=Causer |
| 2 | **rise** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **generate** | participle |  | rising air *not said here* |  |  |  | by the wingtip of the bird | vn grow-26.2.1 «NP.patient V PP.product»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The formation is maintained by vocal command alone, issued by the eldest goose of the flock

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight:e2:o4:1
# text = The formation is maintained by vocal command alone, issued by the eldest goose of the flock
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	formation	formation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	maintained	maintain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	vocal	vocal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	command	command	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	issued	issue	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	eldest	eld	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	14	amod	_	_
14	goose	goose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	flock	flock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **maintain** | present · passive | vocal command | the formation |  |  |  | alone *property* | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **issue** | participle | vocal command *not said here* |  |  |  |  | by the eldest goose of the flock | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme by goose=Location |

<!-- 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.

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- ← previous: [Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight/e1/)
- next →: [Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Birds: feathers, wings, eggs and flight](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/33-birds-feathers-wings-eggs-and-flight/)