---
title: Identify the principal function of decomposers within an ecosystem. — Why living things die, and the circle… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal function of decomposers within an ecosystem. Exam question 2 of lesson 53 «Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice
---

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# Exam question 2 · Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal function of decomposers within an ecosystem.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify · **To what, where:** principal function

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 53 «Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature» of the religion ethics 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/religion-ethics/53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal function of decomposers within an ecosystem.
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	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	decomposers	decomposer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
7	within	within	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	ecosystem	ecosystem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	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 function of decomposers |  |  |  | within a ecosystem | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent function=Theme |

<!-- .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 production of light for the growth of plants in the shade

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:e2:o1:1
# text = The production of light for the growth of plants in the shade
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	production	production	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	growth	growth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	shade	shade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **produce** |  |  | light |  |  |  | for the growth of plants in the shade | nom production «act transitive»: of=patient for=obl |
| 2 | **grow** |  | plants in the shade |  |  |  |  |  | nom growth «process intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The hunting and killing of large mammals for food by night

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:e2:o2:1
# text = The hunting and killing of large mammals for food by night
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hunting	hunting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	killing	killing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	mammals	mammal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hunt** |  | night | large mammals for food |  |  |  |  | nom hunting «act transitive»: of=patient by=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prevention of all decay in nature so that nothing rots

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:e2:o3:1
# text = The prevention of all decay in nature so that nothing rots
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prevention	prevention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	5	det	_	_
5	decay	decay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	10	det	_	_
10	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	2	nmod	_	_
11	rots	rot	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rot** | present | the prevention of all decay in nature so nothing |  |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_cos-45.5 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **prevent** |  |  | all decay in nature |  |  |  | so nothing | nom prevention «act transitive»: of=patient so=obl |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The conversion of dead organic matter into soil nutrients

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:e2:o4:1
# text = The conversion of dead organic matter into soil nutrients
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	conversion	conversion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	organic	organic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	matter	matter	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	into	into	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	nutrients	nutrient	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **matter** | present | the conversion of dead organic |  |  | soil nutrients |  |  | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **convert** |  |  | dead organic |  |  |  |  | nom conversion «event transitive»: of=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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- ← previous: [Why living things die, and the circle…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life/e1/)
- next →: [Why living things die, and the circle…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life/)