---
title: Ascertain the reason for which the rows of kernels upon a cob of mai… — Rice, maize and potatoes: the plants t… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which the rows of kernels upon a cob of maize are ordinarily even in number. Exam question 2 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 o
---

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# Exam question 2 · Rice, maize and potatoes: the plants that feed the world

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which the rows of kernels upon a cob of maize are ordinarily even in number.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, rows · **What happens:** ascertain, be · **To what, where:** reason, number

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 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/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which the rows of kernels upon a cob of maize are ordinarily even in number.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	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	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	7	det	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	rows	row	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	nsubj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	kernels	kernel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
10	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	cob	cob	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	maize	maize	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
15	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
16	ordinarily	ordinarily	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
17	even	even	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the reason |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent reason=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present | which rows of kernels upon a cob of maize |  |  | number |  | ordinarily *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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Odd rows are removed by the farmer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e2:o1:1
# text = Odd rows are removed by the farmer
1	Odd	odd	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	rows	row	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	removed	remove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	farmer	farmer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present · passive | the farmer | Odd rows |  |  |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Odd rows are shed in the wind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e2:o2:1
# text = Odd rows are shed in the wind
1	Odd	odd	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	rows	row	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	shed	shed	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shed** | present · passive |  | Odd rows |  | the wind |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: subject=Source |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The number is determined by the colour of the cob

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e2:o3:1
# text = The number is determined by the colour of the cob
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	determined	determine	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	cob	cob	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | present · passive | the colour of the cob | the number |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Topic |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The kernels develop in pairs from the outset

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:345-rice-maize-and-potatoes-the-plants-that-feed-the-world:e2:o4:1
# text = The kernels develop in pairs from the outset
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	kernels	kernel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	develop	develop	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	pairs	pair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	outset	outset	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **develop** | present | the kernels |  |  | pairs |  | from the outset | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in pair=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.

<!-- /div -->

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