---
title: Identify the principal reason for which a popcorn kernel bursts upon… — Cooking is chemistry · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which a popcorn kernel bursts upon heating. Exam question 2 of lesson 10 «Cooking is chemistry» of the chemistry course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Exam question 2 · Cooking is chemistry

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which a popcorn kernel bursts upon heating.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, popcorn kernel · **What happens:** identify, burst · **To what, where:** principal reason, heating

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 10 «Cooking is chemistry» of the chemistry 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/chemistry/10-cooking-is-chemistry/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which a popcorn kernel bursts upon heating.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	popcorn	popcorn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	kernel	kernel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	bursts	burst	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
11	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	heating	heating	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **burst** | present | a popcorn kernel |  |  | heating |  | for the principal reason | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme upon heating=Location |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The water within is converted to steam, raising the pressure within the shell

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:e2:o1:1
# text = The water within is converted to steam, raising the pressure within the shell
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	within	within	ADP	IN	_	2	nmod	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	converted	convert	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	raising	raise	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	pressure	pressure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	within	within	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **convert** | present · passive |  | the water |  |  |  | to steam *result* | vn convert-26.6.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=Patient to steam=Result |
| 2 | **raise** | gerund |  | the pressure |  |  |  | within the shell | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pressure=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The oil of the pan ignites within the kernel

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:e2:o2:1
# text = The oil of the pan ignites within the kernel
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	pan	pan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	ignites	ignite	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	within	within	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	kernel	kernel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ignite** | present | the oil of the pan |  |  |  |  | within the kernel | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The kernel contracts upon heating

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:e2:o3:1
# text = The kernel contracts upon heating
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	kernel	kernel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	contracts	contract	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	heating	heating	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **contract** | present | the kernel |  |  |  |  | upon heating | vn bend-45.2 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Air from without is forced into the kernel by the heat of the pan until it ruptures

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:chemistry:10-cooking-is-chemistry:e2:o4:1
# text = Air from without is forced into the kernel by the heat of the pan until it ruptures
1	Air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	from	from	ADP	IN	_	1	nmod	_	_
3	without	without	ADP	IN	_	2	fixed	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	forced	force	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	into	into	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	kernel	kernel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	pan	pan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	_
15	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
16	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	17	nsubj	_	_
17	ruptures	rupture	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **force** | present · passive | the heat of the pan | Air |  | the kernel |  |  | vn urge-58.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Recipient |
| 2 | **rupture** | present | Air |  |  |  |  |  | vn break-45.1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **heat** |  | the pan |  |  |  |  |  | nom heat «phenomenon intransitive»: of=agent |

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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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- ← previous: [Cooking is chemistry, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chemistry/10-cooking-is-chemistry/e1/)
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