---
title: Identify the principal reason for which many desert animals possess… — Habitats and adaptations · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which many desert animals possess large ears. Exam question 3 of lesson 27 «Habitats and adaptations» of the world 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 3 · Habitats and adaptations

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which many desert animals possess large ears.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, many desert animals · **What happens:** identify, possess · **To what, where:** principal reason, large ears

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 27 «Habitats and adaptations» of the world 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/world/27-habitats-and-adaptations/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:27-habitats-and-adaptations:e3:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which many desert animals possess large ears.
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	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	desert	desert	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	possess	possess	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
11	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	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 | **possess** | present | many desert animals | large ears |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot ear=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ears assist in the loss of bodily heat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:27-habitats-and-adaptations:e3:o1:1
# text = The ears assist in the loss of bodily heat
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	assist	assist	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	loss	loss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	bodily	bodily	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **assist** | present | the ears |  |  | the loss of bodily heat |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ears shield the eyes from the Sun

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:27-habitats-and-adaptations:e3:o2:1
# text = The ears shield the eyes from the Sun
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	shield	shield	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	Sun	Sun	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shield** | present | the ears | the eyes |  | the Sun |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ears retain bodily heat

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:27-habitats-and-adaptations:e3:o3:1
# text = The ears retain bodily heat
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	retain	retain	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	bodily	bodily	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	heat	heat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **retain** | present | the ears | bodily heat |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ears store water

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:27-habitats-and-adaptations:e3:o4:1
# text = The ears store water
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ears	ear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	store	store	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **store** | present | the ears | water |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent water=Theme |

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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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