---
title: Why does a whale's blow look like a fountain on a cold day? — Lungs and breathing · tree and pragmatics
description: Why does a whale's blow look like a fountain on a cold day? Test 9 of lesson 66 «Lungs and breathing» 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 9 · Lungs and breathing

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why does a whale's blow look like a fountain on a cold day?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** whale · **What happens:** do, look, blow · **To what, where:** blow

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 of lesson 66 «Lungs and breathing» 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/66-lungs-and-breathing/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:66-lungs-and-breathing:t9:1
# text = Why does a whale's blow look like a fountain on a cold day?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	2	advmod	_	_
2	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	advcl	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	whale	whale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	blow	blow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	look	look	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	fountain	fountain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	on	on	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	cold	cold	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present |  | a whale's blow |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent blow=Eventuality |
| 2 | **look** | present |  |  |  |  | day | like a fountain | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **blow** |  | a whale |  |  |  |  |  | nom blow «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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 whale is blowing a big jet of bubbles out of its tail

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:66-lungs-and-breathing:t9:o1:1
# text = The whale is blowing a big jet of bubbles out of its tail
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	whale	whale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	blowing	blow	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	jet	jet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	bubbles	bubble	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
10	out	out	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **blow** | present · progressive | the whale | a big jet of bubbles |  | whale's tail |  |  | vn split-23.2 «NP V NP apart»: agent=Agent jet=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The whale is spouting out the seawater it swallowed into its stomach

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:66-lungs-and-breathing:t9:o2:1
# text = The whale is spouting out the seawater it swallowed into its stomach
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	whale	whale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	spouting	spout	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	out	out	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	seawater	seawater	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	swallowed	swallow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	into	into	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	stomach	stomach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spout out** | present · progressive | the whale | the seawater |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location seawater=Source |
| 2 | **swallow** | past | whale | the seawater *not said here* |  | whale's stomach |  |  | vn gobble-39.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent seawater=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its warm, wet breath turns to mist in the cold air, with some spray

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:66-lungs-and-breathing:t9:o3:1
# text = Its warm, wet breath turns to mist in the cold air, with some spray
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
2	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	wet	wet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	breath	breath	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	turns	turn	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	mist	mist	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	cold	cold	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	with	with	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	16	det	_	_
16	spray	spray	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **turn** | present | Its warm wet breath |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **mist** | to-infinitive | Its warm wet breath *not said here* |  |  | the cold air |  |  | vn weather-57 «It V PP.theme» |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The whale is sneezing out the little fish it could not eat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:66-lungs-and-breathing:t9:o4:1
# text = The whale is sneezing out the little fish it could not eat
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	whale	whale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	sneezing	sneeze	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	out	out	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
10	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	eat	eat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sneeze out** | present · progressive | the whale | the little fish |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **eat** | could | whale | the little fish *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fish=Patient |

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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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