---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — The Arctic Ocean: walruses, bowheads,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the so-called unicorn horns traded in medieval Europe? Exam question 3 of lesson 169 «The Arctic Ocean: walruses, bowheads, the 400-year shark and the unicorn's tooth» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency 
---

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# Exam question 3 · The Arctic Ocean: walruses, bowheads, the 400-year shark a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the so-called unicorn horns traded in medieval Europe?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** unicorn horns · **What happens:** follow, characteris, call, trade · **To what, where:** unicorn horns, medieval Europe · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 169 «The Arctic Ocean: walruses, bowheads, the 400-year shark and the unicorn's tooth» 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/169-the-arctic-ocean-walruses-bowheads-the-400-year-shark-and-the-unicorns-tooth/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:169-the-arctic-ocean-walruses-bowheads-the-400-year-shark-and-the-unicorns-tooth:e3:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the so-called unicorn horns traded in medieval Europe?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	acl	_	_
13	unicorn	unicorn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	horns	horn	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
15	traded	trade	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	parataxis	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	medieval	medieval	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	Europe	Europe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  |  |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **call** | participle |  | the unicorn horns *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **trade** | past | the unicorn horns |  |  | medieval Europe |  |  | vn exchange-13.6.1 «NP V NP»: 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were fashioned from walrus whiskers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:169-the-arctic-ocean-walruses-bowheads-the-400-year-shark-and-the-unicorns-tooth:e3:o1:1
# text = They were fashioned from walrus whiskers
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	fashioned	fashioned	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	walrus	walrus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	whiskers	whisker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | They |  |  | walrus whiskers |  | fashioned *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were the antlers of reindeer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:169-the-arctic-ocean-walruses-bowheads-the-400-year-shark-and-the-unicorns-tooth:e3:o2:1
# text = They were the antlers of reindeer
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	antlers	antler	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	reindeer	reindeer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | They | the antlers |  |  |  | of reindeer | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were the horns of a now extinct horse of the northern forests

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:169-the-arctic-ocean-walruses-bowheads-the-400-year-shark-and-the-unicorns-tooth:e3:o3:1
# text = They were the horns of a now extinct horse of the northern forests
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	horns	horn	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	now	now	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	8	advmod	_	_
8	extinct	extinct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	northern	northern	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	forests	forest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | They | the horns |  |  |  | of a extinct horse of the northern forests | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were in fact the spiral tusks of the narwhal, which are teeth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:169-the-arctic-ocean-walruses-bowheads-the-400-year-shark-and-the-unicorns-tooth:e3:o4:1
# text = They were in fact the spiral tusks of the narwhal, which are teeth
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	fact	fact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	spiral	spiral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	tusks	tusk	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	narwhal	narwhal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	14	det	_	_
13	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | They |  |  | fact |  | the spiral tusks of the narwhal and which teeth *nmod* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | They *not said here* | which teeth |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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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