---
title: Ascertain the reason for which a stem of bamboo combines strength wi… — China's plants: bamboo, ginkgo, lotus,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the reason for which a stem of bamboo combines strength with lightness. Exam question 4 of lesson 380 «China's plants: bamboo, ginkgo, lotus, tea and rice paddies» 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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# Exam question 4 · China's plants: bamboo, ginkgo, lotus, tea and rice paddies

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the reason for which a stem of bamboo combines strength with lightness.

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

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 380 «China's plants: bamboo, ginkgo, lotus, tea and rice paddies» 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/380-china-s-plants-bamboo-ginkgo-lotus-tea-and-rice-paddies/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:380-china-s-plants-bamboo-ginkgo-lotus-tea-and-rice-paddies:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the reason for which a stem of bamboo combines strength with lightness.
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	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	stem	stem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	bamboo	bamboo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	combines	combine	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl	_	_
11	strength	strength	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
12	with	with	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	lightness	lightness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	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 | **combine** | present | a stem of bamboo | strength |  |  |  | for the reason; with lightness | vn mix-22.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: agent=Agent strength=Patient with lightness=Co-Patient |
| 3 | **stem** |  |  | bamboo |  |  |  |  | nom stem «communication transitive»: of=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 -->
It is filled throughout with dense fibre

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:380-china-s-plants-bamboo-ginkgo-lotus-tea-and-rice-paddies:e4:o1:1
# text = It is filled throughout with dense fibre
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	filled	fill	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	throughout	throughout	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	dense	dense	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	fibre	fibre	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fill throughout** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  | with dense fibre | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: subject=Patient with fibre=Instrument |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It contains a reservoir of water

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:380-china-s-plants-bamboo-ginkgo-lotus-tea-and-rice-paddies:e4:o2:1
# text = It contains a reservoir of water
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	contains	contain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	reservoir	reservoir	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contain** | present | It | a reservoir of water |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot reservoir=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is reinforced by minerals of iron which it draws from the soil

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:380-china-s-plants-bamboo-ginkgo-lotus-tea-and-rice-paddies:e4:o3:1
# text = It is reinforced by minerals of iron which it draws from the soil
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	reinforced	reinforce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	minerals	mineral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	iron	iron	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	draws	draw	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reinforce** | present · passive | minerals of iron | It |  |  |  |  | vn support-15.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot subject=Theme |
| 2 | **draw** | present | iron |  |  |  |  | from the soil | vn split-23.2 «NP V PP.co-patient»: agent=Patient from soil=Co-Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is hollow and divided at intervals by solid joints

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:380-china-s-plants-bamboo-ginkgo-lotus-tea-and-rice-paddies:e4:o4:1
# text = It is hollow and divided at intervals by solid joints
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	hollow	hollow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	divided	divide	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	intervals	interval	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	solid	solid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	joints	joint	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | hollow *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **divide** | participle |  |  |  | intervals |  | by solid joints | vn multiply-108-1 «NP V NP PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent by joint=Co-Theme |

<!-- 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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