---
title: Ascertain the basis upon which Charles Darwin predicted the existenc… — Madagascar: chameleons, leaf-tailed ge… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the basis upon which Charles Darwin predicted the existence of a moth with an exceptionally long tongue. Exam question 4 of lesson 164 «Madagascar: chameleons, leaf-tailed geckos, tenrecs, baobabs and a moth Darwin predicted» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the depende
---

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# Exam question 4 · Madagascar: chameleons, leaf-tailed geckos, tenrecs, baoba…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the basis upon which Charles Darwin predicted the existence of a moth with an exceptionally long tongue.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, Charles, moth · **What happens:** ascertain, predict, exist · **To what, where:** basis, existence

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 164 «Madagascar: chameleons, leaf-tailed geckos, tenrecs, baobabs and a moth Darwin predicted» of the biology 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/biology/164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the basis upon which Charles Darwin predicted the existence of a moth with an exceptionally long tongue.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	basis	basis	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obl	_	_
6	Charles	Charles	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
7	Darwin	Darwin	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	flat	_	_
8	predicted	predict	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	existence	existence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	moth	moth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
14	with	with	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
15	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
16	exceptionally	exceptionally	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
17	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	tongue	tongue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the basis |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent basis=Topic |
| 2 | **predict** | past | Charles | the existence of a moth with a long tongue |  |  |  | upon the basis | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot existence=Topic |
| 3 | **exist** |  | a moth with a long tongue |  |  |  |  |  | nom existence «state intransitive»: of=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 -->
A specimen dispatched to him by a sailor

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth:e4:o1:1
# text = A specimen dispatched to him by a sailor
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	specimen	specimen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	dispatched	dispatch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	sailor	sailor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dispatch** | participle |  | a specimen *not said here* | him *= he* |  |  | by a sailor | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent to he=Destination |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The depth of the nectar tube of a Madagascar orchid of about thirty centimetres

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth:e4:o2:1
# text = The depth of the nectar tube of a Madagascar orchid of about thirty centimetres
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	depth	depth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	nectar	nectar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	tube	tube	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	Madagascar	Madagascar	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	orchid	orchid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	about	about	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
13	thirty	thirty	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	14	nummod	_	_
14	centimetres	centimetre	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The discovery of such a moth in his own garden

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth:e4:o3:1
# text = The discovery of such a moth in his own garden
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	discovery	discovery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	such	such	DET	PDT	PronType=Ind	6	det:predet	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	moth	moth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
9	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	garden	garden	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **discover** |  |  | such moth in his own garden |  |  |  |  | nom discovery «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The description of such a moth in an ancient text from the island, written by its first explorers

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth:e4:o4:1
# text = The description of such a moth in an ancient text from the island, written by its first explorers
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	description	description	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	such	such	DET	PDT	PronType=Ind	6	det:predet	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	moth	moth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	ancient	ancient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	island	island	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	written	write	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
17	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	19	nmod:poss	_	_
18	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	19	amod	_	_
19	explorers	explorer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | participle |  | the description of such moth in a ancient text from the island *not said here* |  |  |  | by island's first explorers | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **describe** |  |  | such moth in a ancient text from the island |  |  |  |  | nom description «communication 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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