--- title: why do birds keep picking at their feathers all the time — Birds: feathers, nests and flight · tree and pragmatics description: why do birds keep picking at their feathers all the time Test 10 · ★ of lesson 73 «Birds: feathers, nests and flight» 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. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/73-birds-feathers-nests-flight/t10/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/) / [Birds: feathers, nests and flight](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/73-birds-feathers-nests-flight/) / t10 # Test 10 · ★ · Birds: feathers, nests and flight why do birds keep picking at their feathers all the time **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** birds · **What happens:** keep, pick This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 73 «Birds: feathers, nests and flight» of the world 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/world/73-birds-feathers-nests-flight/#t10). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:world:73-birds-feathers-nests-flight:t10:1 # text = why do birds keep picking at their feathers all the time 1 why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 4 advmod _ _ 2 do do AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 3 birds bird NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 nsubj _ _ 4 keep keep VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 picking pick VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 4 xcomp _ _ 6 at at ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 8 nmod:poss _ _ 8 feathers feather NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 obl _ _ 9 all all DET PDT PronType=Tot 11 det:predet _ _ 10 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 11 time time NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obl:unmarked _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **keep** | present · do-support | birds | | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **pick** | gerund | birds *not said here* | | | | time | at birds's feathers | vn chew-39.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent at feather=Patient | 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} They are pulling out feathers to build nests ```conllu # sent_id = question:world:73-birds-feathers-nests-flight:t10:o1:1 # text = They are pulling out feathers to build nests 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 pulling pull VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 out out ADP RP _ 3 compound:prt _ _ 5 feathers feather NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obj _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 7 build build VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 advcl _ _ 8 nests nest NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **pull out** | present · progressive | They | feathers | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **build** | to-infinitive | They *not said here* | nests | | | | | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset nest=Product | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2} They preen to keep their feathers clean, tidy and waterproof ```conllu # sent_id = question:world:73-birds-feathers-nests-flight:t10:o2:1 # text = They preen to keep their feathers clean, tidy and waterproof 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 preen preen VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 to to PART TO _ 4 mark _ _ 4 keep keep VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 2 advcl _ _ 5 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 6 nmod:poss _ _ 6 feathers feather NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obj _ _ 7 clean clean ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 8 , , PUNCT , _ 9 punct _ _ 9 tidy tidy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 conj _ _ 10 and and CCONJ CC _ 11 cc _ _ 11 waterproof waterproof ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 conj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **preen** | present | They | | | | | | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **keep** | to-infinitive | They *not said here* | their feathers | | | | clean *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent feather=Theme | ### Option 3 {#o3} They are scratching bites from other birds ```conllu # sent_id = question:world:73-birds-feathers-nests-flight:t10:o3:1 # text = They are scratching bites from other birds 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 scratching scratch VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 bites bite NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obj _ _ 5 from from ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 other other ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 amod _ _ 7 birds bird NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **scratch** | present · progressive | They | bites | | | | from other birds | vn cut-21.1-1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent bite=Patient from bird=Source | ### Option 4 {#o4} They are looking for food hidden in them ```conllu # sent_id = question:world:73-birds-feathers-nests-flight:t10:o4:1 # text = They are looking for food hidden in them 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 looking look VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 for for ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 5 food food NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ _ 6 hidden hide VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 xcomp _ _ 7 in in ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 8 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 6 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **look** | present · progressive | They | | | | | for food | tree rules | | 2 | **hide** | participle | They *not said here* | | | | | in them *= they* | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent in they=Location | **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. - ← previous: [Birds: feathers, nests and flight, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/73-birds-feathers-nests-flight/t9/) - next →: [Birds: feathers, nests and flight, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/73-birds-feathers-nests-flight/t11/) - ↑ back to [Birds: feathers, nests and flight](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/73-birds-feathers-nests-flight/)