---
title: Why does a river cut a V-shaped valley up in the hills but wind in l… — Rivers shaping the land · tree and pragmatics
description: Why does a river cut a V-shaped valley up in the hills but wind in loops near the sea? Test 1 · ★ of lesson 53 «Rivers shaping the land» of the geography 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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# Test 1 · ★ · Rivers shaping the land

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why does a river cut a V-shaped valley up in the hills but wind in loops near the sea?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** river · **What happens:** cut up, shape · **To what, where:** shaped valley, hills

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 · ★ of lesson 53 «Rivers shaping the land» of the geography 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/geography/53-rivers-shaping-the-land/#t1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:53-rivers-shaping-the-land:t1:1
# text = Why does a river cut a V-shaped valley up in the hills but wind in loops near the sea?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	cut	cut	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
7	V	v	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	shaped	shape	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	valley	valley	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
11	up	up	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	hills	hill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
15	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	_
17	in	in	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	loops	loop	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
19	near	near	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cut up** | present · do-support | a river | a shaped valley |  | the hills but wind |  | in loops near the sea | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset valley=Product |
| 2 | **shape** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

<!-- .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 -->
It is steep and fast near the source, slower and flatter lower down

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:53-rivers-shaping-the-land:t1:o1:1
# text = It is steep and fast near the source, slower and flatter lower down
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	steep	steep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	fast	fast	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
6	near	near	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	source	source	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	slower	slow	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	conj	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	flatter	flat	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	conj	_	_
13	lower	low	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	14	advmod	_	_
14	down	down	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  | the source |  | steep *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  | down *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Fish make the loops near the sea

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:53-rivers-shaping-the-land:t1:o2:1
# text = Fish make the loops near the sea
1	Fish	fish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	loops	loop	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	near	near	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | Fish | the loops |  | the sea |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent loop=Product |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The wind blows the river into loops

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:53-rivers-shaping-the-land:t1:o3:1
# text = The wind blows the river into loops
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	blows	blow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	into	into	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	loops	loop	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **blow** | present | the wind | the river |  | loops |  |  | vn build-26.1 «NP V NP.material PP.product»: agent=Agent river=Material into loop=Product |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is colder in the hills and warmer by the sea, so the water bends

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:53-rivers-shaping-the-land:t1:o4:1
# text = It is colder in the hills and warmer by the sea, so the water bends
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	colder	cold	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	hills	hill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	warmer	warm	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	conj	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
13	so	so	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
16	bends	bend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  | the hills |  | cold *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **bend** | present | the water |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=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.

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- ← previous: [Weathering and erosion, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/52-weathering-and-erosion/e4/)
- next →: [Rivers shaping the land, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/53-rivers-shaping-the-land/t2/)
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