---
title: Ascertain the cause of the autumnal reddening and yellowing of the l… — Roots, stems and leaves · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the cause of the autumnal reddening and yellowing of the leaves of deciduous trees. Exam question 4 of lesson 57 «Roots, stems and leaves» 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.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/57-roots-stems-and-leaves/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/) / [Roots, stems and leaves](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/57-roots-stems-and-leaves/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · Roots, stems and leaves

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the cause of the autumnal reddening and yellowing of the leaves of deciduous trees.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, yellow, cause · **To what, where:** cause, autumnal reddening

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 57 «Roots, stems and leaves» 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/57-roots-stems-and-leaves/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:57-roots-stems-and-leaves:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the cause of the autumnal reddening and yellowing of the leaves of deciduous trees.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	autumnal	autumnal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	reddening	reddening	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	yellowing	yellow	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	conj	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	deciduous	deciduous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	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 cause of the autumnal reddening |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cause=Topic |
| 2 | **yellow** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | of the leaves of deciduous trees | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **cause** |  |  | the autumnal reddening |  |  |  |  | nom cause «event 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The deposition of colour by frost upon the surface

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:57-roots-stems-and-leaves:e4:o1:1
# text = The deposition of colour by frost upon the surface
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	deposition	deposition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	frost	frost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	surface	surface	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **depose** |  | colour |  |  |  |  | upon the surface | nom deposition «process intransitive»: of=agent upon=obl |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The combustion of the leaf through the summer heat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:57-roots-stems-and-leaves:e4:o2:1
# text = The combustion of the leaf through the summer heat
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	combustion	combustion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	leaf	leaf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	through	through	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	summer	summer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **combust** |  | the leaf |  |  | the summer heat |  |  | nom combustion «process intransitive»: of=agent through=place |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The breakdown of chlorophyll, revealing other pigments, some red ones newly made

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:57-roots-stems-and-leaves:e4:o3:1
# text = The breakdown of chlorophyll, revealing other pigments, some red ones newly made
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	breakdown	breakdown	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	chlorophyll	chlorophyll	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	revealing	reveal	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
7	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	pigments	pigment	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	12	det	_	_
11	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	ones	one	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	appos	_	_
13	newly	newly	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
14	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reveal** | gerund | the breakdown of chlorophyll *not said here* | other pigments |  |  |  |  | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pigment=Topic |
| 2 | **make** | participle |  | some red ones *not said here* |  |  |  | newly *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The absorption of red light from the setting Sun

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:57-roots-stems-and-leaves:e4:o4:1
# text = The absorption of red light from the setting Sun
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	absorption	absorption	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	setting	setting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	Sun	Sun	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **absorb** |  |  | red light from the setting Sun |  |  |  |  | nom absorption «process transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- 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: [Roots, stems and leaves, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/57-roots-stems-and-leaves/e3/)
- next →: [Flowers and pollination, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/58-flowers-and-pollination/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Roots, stems and leaves](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/57-roots-stems-and-leaves/)