---
title: Identify the means by which the rice plant obtains air for its roots… — Rice, maize and potatoes: the plants t… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the means by which the rice plant obtains air for its roots while standing in flooded fields. Exam question 1 of lesson 345 «Rice, maize and potatoes: the plants that feed the world» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and 
---

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# Exam question 1 · Rice, maize and potatoes: the plants that feed the world

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the means by which the rice plant obtains air for its roots while standing in flooded fields.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, the, rice plant · **What happens:** identify, mean, obtain, stand, flood · **To what, where:** air, flooded fields

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 345 «Rice, maize and potatoes: the plants that feed the world» 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/345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e1:1
# text = Identify the means by which the rice plant obtains air for its roots while standing in flooded fields.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	ccomp	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	rice	rice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	plant	plant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	obtains	obtain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
10	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
11	for	for	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	roots	root	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
14	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
15	standing	stand	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	9	advcl	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	flooded	flood	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	18	amod	_	_
18	fields	field	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **obtain** | present | the rice plant | air |  |  |  | for plant's roots | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP V NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent air=Theme for root=Asset |
| 4 | **stand** | gerund | the rice plant *not said here* |  |  | flooded fields |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent in field=Location |
| 5 | **flood** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

<!-- .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 -->
Air is supplied by the farmer through pipes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e1:o1:1
# text = Air is supplied by the farmer through pipes
1	Air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	supplied	supply	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	farmer	farmer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	pipes	pipe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **supply** | present · passive | the farmer | Air |  | pipes |  |  | vn fulfilling-13.4.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Recipient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Air is conveyed downward through spongy tissue within the stems

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e1:o2:1
# text = Air is conveyed downward through spongy tissue within the stems
1	Air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	downward	downward	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	through	through	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	spongy	spongy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	tissue	tissue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	within	within	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	stems	stem	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **convey** | present · passive |  | Air |  | spongy tissue |  | within the stems; downward *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The plant does not require air at any stage

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e1:o3:1
# text = The plant does not require air at any stage
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	plant	plant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	require	require	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	stage	stage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **require** | present · do-support | the plant | air |  | any stage |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme air=Precondition |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The roots extract oxygen from the water as a fish does

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e1:o4:1
# text = The roots extract oxygen from the water as a fish does
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	roots	root	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	extract	extract	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	oxygen	oxygen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **extract** | present | the roots | oxygen |  | the water |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent oxygen=Theme from water=Initial\_Location |
| 2 | **do** | present | a fish |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=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.

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