---
title: Ascertain the method by which the age of the clam known as Ming was… — Record-breakers: the loudest and the l… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the method by which the age of the clam known as Ming was determined. Exam question 2 of lesson 187 «Record-breakers: the loudest and the longest-lived» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice
---

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# Exam question 2 · Record-breakers: the loudest and the longest-lived

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the method by which the age of the clam known as Ming was determined.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, age · **What happens:** ascertain, know, be · **To what, where:** method, clam

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 187 «Record-breakers: the loudest and the longest-lived» 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/187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the method by which the age of the clam known as Ming was determined.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	method	method	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	15	obl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	clam	clam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	known	know	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	acl	_	_
12	as	as	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	Ming	Ming	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
14	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
15	determined	determined	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	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 method |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent method=Topic |
| 2 | **know** | participle |  | the clam *not said here* |  |  |  | as Ming | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer as ming=Attribute |
| 3 | **is** | past | the age of the clam |  |  |  |  | by the method; determined *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
The examination of its teeth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived:e2:o1:1
# text = The examination of its teeth
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	examination	examination	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** |  |  | examination's teeth |  |  |  |  | nom examination «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The enumeration of annual growth rings upon its shell

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived:e2:o2:1
# text = The enumeration of annual growth rings upon its shell
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	enumeration	enumeration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	annual	annual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	growth	growth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	rings	ring	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
7	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **enumerate** |  |  | annual growth rings upon enumeration's shell |  |  |  |  | nom enumeration «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its weight in comparison with younger clams

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived:e2:o3:1
# text = Its weight in comparison with younger clams
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	weight	weight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	comparison	comparison	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	younger	young	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	amod	_	_
7	clams	clam	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Records maintained by fishermen

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived:e2:o4:1
# text = Records maintained by fishermen
1	Records	record	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	maintained	maintain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	fishermen	fisherman	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **maintain** | participle |  | Records *not said here* |  |  |  | by fishermen | vn declare-29.4-1 «NP V what S»: agent=Agent |

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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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- ← previous: [Record-breakers: the loudest and the l…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived/e1/)
- next →: [Record-breakers: the loudest and the l…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Record-breakers: the loudest and the longest-lived](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/187-record-breakers-the-loudest-and-the-longest-lived/)