---
title: «sparrows are everywhere, no way they're in trouble» What is true? — City birds: sparrows, starlings, swift… · tree and pragmatics
description: «sparrows are everywhere, no way they're in trouble» What is true? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 369 «City birds: sparrows, starlings, swifts, crows and peregrines on tall buildings» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mo
---

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# Test 8 · ★ · City birds: sparrows, starlings, swifts, crows and peregri…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«sparrows are everywhere, no way they're in trouble» What is true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** sparrows, way · **What happens:** be · **To what, where:** trouble

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 369 «City birds: sparrows, starlings, swifts, crows and peregrines on tall buildings» 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/369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings:t8:1
# text = «sparrows are everywhere, no way they're in trouble» What is true?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	sparrows	sparrow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	everywhere	everywhere	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	15	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	7	det	_	_
7	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
13	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	15	nsubj	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
15	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	15	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | sparrows |  |  |  |  | everywhere *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | no way |  |  | trouble |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | true *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 -->
Sparrows are extinct

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings:t8:o1:1
# text = Sparrows are extinct
1	Sparrows	sparrow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	extinct	extinct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Sparrows |  |  |  |  | extinct *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In London their numbers fell by about two-thirds, and scientists still argue why

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings:t8:o2:1
# text = In London their numbers fell by about two-thirds, and scientists still argue why
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	London	London	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
3	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	numbers	number	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	fell	fall	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
7	about	about	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	thirds	third	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
14	still	still	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	argue	argue	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
16	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	15	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fall** | past | their numbers |  |  | London |  | by two thirds | vn occur-48.3 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme in london=Location |
| 2 | **argue** *speech: disagree* | present | scientists |  |  |  | still |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They are the most common bird in the world and their numbers have never fallen

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings:t8:o3:1
# text = They are the most common bird in the world and their numbers have never fallen
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	5	advmod	_	_
5	common	common	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	world	world	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
11	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	numbers	number	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
13	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
14	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
15	fallen	fall	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | They | the common bird |  | the world |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **fall** | present · perfect | their numbers |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sparrows only live in the countryside

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings:t8:o4:1
# text = Sparrows only live in the countryside
1	Sparrows	sparrow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	live	live	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	countryside	countryside	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | Sparrows |  |  | the countryside |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in countryside=Location |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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- next →: [City birds: sparrows, starlings, swift…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings/t9/)
- ↑ back to [City birds: sparrows, starlings, swifts, crows and peregrines on tall buildings](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/369-city-birds-sparrows-starlings-swifts-crows-and-peregrines-on-tall-buildings/)