---
title: Identify the function performed by decomposers such as fungi, bacter… — Soil and what lives in it · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the function performed by decomposers such as fungi, bacteria and earthworms. Exam question 2 of lesson 63 «Soil and what lives in it» 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 2 · Soil and what lives in it

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the function performed by decomposers such as fungi, bacteria and earthworms.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, perform · **To what, where:** function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 63 «Soil and what lives in it» 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/63-soil-and-what-lives-in-it/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:63-soil-and-what-lives-in-it:e2:1
# text = Identify the function performed by decomposers such as fungi, bacteria and earthworms.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	performed	perform	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	decomposers	decomposer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
7	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	9	case	_	_
8	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	fixed	_	_
9	fungi	fungus	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	bacteria	bacterium	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	conj	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	earthworms	earthworm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	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 function |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent function=Theme |
| 2 | **perform** | participle |  | the function *not said here* |  |  |  | by decomposers such fungi and bacteria and earthworms | vn performance-26.7 «NP V»: agent=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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They manufacture soil from solid rock within a single day

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:63-soil-and-what-lives-in-it:e2:o1:1
# text = They manufacture soil from solid rock within a single day
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	manufacture	manufacture	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	solid	solid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	within	within	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **manufacture** | present | They | soil |  | solid rock | day |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP PP.material»: agent=Agent soil=Result from rock=Material |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They remove all air and water from the soil

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:63-soil-and-what-lives-in-it:e2:o2:1
# text = They remove all air and water from the soil
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	remove	remove	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	det	_	_
4	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remove** | present | They | all air and water |  | the soil |  |  | vn fire-10.10 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent air=Theme from soil=Source |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They break down dead matter and return nutrients to the soil

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:63-soil-and-what-lives-in-it:e2:o3:1
# text = They break down dead matter and return nutrients to the soil
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	break	break	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	down	down	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	return	return	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
8	nutrients	nutrient	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break down** | present | They | dead matter |  |  |  |  | vn break-45.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent matter=Patient |
| 2 | **return** | present | They *not said here* | nutrients |  | the soil |  |  | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent nutrient=Theme to soil=Destination |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They consume the roots of living plants exclusively and nothing else

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:63-soil-and-what-lives-in-it:e2:o4:1
# text = They consume the roots of living plants exclusively and nothing else
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	consume	consume	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	roots	root	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	living	living	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
8	exclusively	exclusively	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	2	conj	_	_
11	else	else	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consume** | present | They | the roots of living plants |  |  |  | exclusively *property* | vn consume-66 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent root=Asset |

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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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