---
title: It is given that an investigator wishes to ascertain whether warmth… — How plants grow: seeds, light, water a… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that an investigator wishes to ascertain whether warmth is necessary for germination. Determine the variable to be altered. Exam question 4 of lesson 56 «How plants grow: seeds, light, water and air» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics 
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/56-how-plants-grow/e4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/) / [How plants grow: seeds, light, water a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/56-how-plants-grow/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · How plants grow: seeds, light, water and air

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that an investigator wishes to ascertain whether warmth is necessary for germination. Determine the variable to be altered.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** investigator, warmth, you · **What happens:** give, wish, ascertain, be, determine, alter · **To what, where:** It, variable

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 56 «How plants grow: seeds, light, water and air» 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/56-how-plants-grow/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that an investigator wishes to ascertain whether warmth is necessary for germination.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:56-how-plants-grow:e4:1
# text = It is given that an investigator wishes to ascertain whether warmth is necessary for germination.
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	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	investigator	investigator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	wishes	wish	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	whether	whether	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	warmth	warmth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	necessary	necessary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	ccomp	_	_
14	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	germination	germination	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **wish** | present | a investigator |  |  |  |  |  | vn wish-62 «NP V for NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 3 | **ascertain** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a investigator *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **is** | present | warmth |  |  |  |  | for germination; necessary *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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Determine the variable to be altered.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:56-how-plants-grow:e4:2
# text = Determine the variable to be altered.
1	Determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	variable	variable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	altered	alter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the variable |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent variable=Topic |
| 2 | **alter** | to-infinitive · passive | you *not said here* | the variable *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V» |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Light, temperature and soil simultaneously

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:56-how-plants-grow:e4:o1:1
# text = Light, temperature and soil simultaneously
1	Light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
3	temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
6	simultaneously	simultaneously	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No variable whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:56-how-plants-grow:e4:o2:1
# text = No variable whatsoever
1	No	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	2	det	_	_
2	variable	variable	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Temperature together with the supply of water and the quantity of light

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:56-how-plants-grow:e4:o3:1
# text = Temperature together with the supply of water and the quantity of light
1	Temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	together	together	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	supply	supply	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	quantity	quantity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Temperature alone, all other conditions being held constant

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:56-how-plants-grow:e4:o4:1
# text = Temperature alone, all other conditions being held constant
1	Temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
4	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
5	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	conditions	condition	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	held	hold	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
9	constant	constant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | gerund · passive |  | Temperature |  |  |  | constant *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: subject=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [How plants grow: seeds, light, water a…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/56-how-plants-grow/e3/)
- next →: [Roots, stems and leaves, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/57-roots-stems-and-leaves/t1/)
- ↑ back to [How plants grow: seeds, light, water and air](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/56-how-plants-grow/)