---
title: Why might a completely straight spine be worse than an S-shaped one? — Bones by name: the skull, jaw, spine a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why might a completely straight spine be worse than an S-shaped one? Test 10 · ★ of lesson 357 «Bones by name: the skull, jaw, spine and ribs» 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 10 · ★ · Bones by name: the skull, jaw, spine and ribs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why might a completely straight spine be worse than an S-shaped one?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** straight spine · **What happens:** be, shape

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 357 «Bones by name: the skull, jaw, spine and ribs» 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/357-bones-by-name-the-skull-jaw-spine-and-ribs/#t10).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:357-bones-by-name-the-skull-jaw-spine-and-ribs:t10:1
# text = Why might a completely straight spine be worse than an S-shaped one?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
2	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	completely	completely	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	straight	straight	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	spine	spine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	worse	bad	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
9	than	than	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
10	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
11	S	s	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	shaped	shape	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	amod	_	_
14	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | might | a straight spine |  |  |  |  | than a shaped one; bad *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **shape** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It could not spring and cushion your steps so well

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:357-bones-by-name-the-skull-jaw-spine-and-ribs:t10:o1:1
# text = It could not spring and cushion your steps so well
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	spring	spring	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	cushion	cushion	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
7	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	steps	step	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **spring** | could | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **cushion** | infinitive |  | your steps |  |  |  | well *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **step** |  | your |  |  |  |  |  | nom step «act transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It would stop the ribs moving

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:357-bones-by-name-the-skull-jaw-spine-and-ribs:t10:o2:1
# text = It would stop the ribs moving
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	ribs	rib	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	moving	move	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | would | It | the ribs |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **move** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It would make you much taller, so you would bump your head

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:357-bones-by-name-the-skull-jaw-spine-and-ribs:t10:o3:1
# text = It would make you much taller, so you would bump your head
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	much	much	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	taller	tall	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
9	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
10	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	bump	bump	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
12	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | would | It | you |  |  |  | tall *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.material V NP»: agent=Material you=Product |
| 2 | **bump** | would | you | your head |  |  |  |  | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent head=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It would protect the lungs less

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:357-bones-by-name-the-skull-jaw-spine-and-ribs:t10:o4:1
# text = It would protect the lungs less
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	protect	protect	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	lungs	lung	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	less	less	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **protect** | would | It | the lungs |  |  |  | less *property* | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lung=Beneficiary |

<!-- 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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