---
title: Why would a seed spin as it falls? — Park trees: telling oaks, maples, ches… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why would a seed spin as it falls? Test 8 of lesson 339 «Park trees: telling oaks, maples, chestnuts, birches, limes and willows apart» 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 right.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart/t8/)

<!-- 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/) / [Park trees: telling oaks, maples, ches…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart/) / t8

# Test 8 · Park trees: telling oaks, maples, chestnuts, birches, lime…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why would a seed spin as it falls?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** seed spin · **What happens:** fall

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 of lesson 339 «Park trees: telling oaks, maples, chestnuts, birches, limes and willows apart» 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/339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart:t8:1
# text = Why would a seed spin as it falls?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	spin	spin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	falls	fall	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fall** | would | a seed spin |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spinning slows the fall so the wind carries it further

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart:t8:o1:1
# text = Spinning slows the fall so the wind carries it further
1	Spinning	spin	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	nsubj	_	_
2	slows	slow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	fall	fall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	carries	carry	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	_
10	further	further	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spin** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **slow** | present |  | the fall |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent fall=Patient |
| 3 | **carry** | present | the wind | fall |  |  |  | further *property* | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spinning helps it drill down into the ground when it lands

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart:t8:o2:1
# text = Spinning helps it drill down into the ground when it lands
1	Spinning	spin	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	nsubj	_	_
2	helps	help	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	drill	drill	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	down	down	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	into	into	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	lands	land	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spin** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **help** | present |  | it |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent it=Beneficiary clause=Theme |
| 3 | **drill down** | infinitive |  |  |  | the ground |  |  | vn carve-21.2-3 «NP V ADVP-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 4 | **land** | present | ground |  |  |  |  |  | vn pocket-9.10-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spinning keeps the seed warm

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart:t8:o3:1
# text = Spinning keeps the seed warm
1	Spinning	spin	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	nsubj	_	_
2	keeps	keep	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	seed	seed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spin** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **keep** | present |  | the seed |  |  |  | warm *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent seed=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spinning shakes off insects

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart:t8:o4:1
# text = Spinning shakes off insects
1	Spinning	spin	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	nsubj	_	_
2	shakes	shake	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	off	off	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spin** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **shake off** | present |  | insects |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent insect=Patient |

<!-- 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: [Park trees: telling oaks, maples, ches…, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart/t7/)
- next →: [Park trees: telling oaks, maples, ches…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart/t9/)
- ↑ back to [Park trees: telling oaks, maples, chestnuts, birches, limes and willows apart](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/339-park-trees-telling-oaks-maples-chestnuts-birches-limes-and-willows-apart/)