---
title: Identify the principle by which the relative ages of sedimentary roc… — How old is it? Rock layers, rock clock… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principle by which the relative ages of sedimentary rock layers are ordinarily determined. Exam question 1 of lesson 276 «How old is it? Rock layers, rock clocks, amber and the long story of life» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of
---

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# Exam question 1 · How old is it? Rock layers, rock clocks, amber and the lon…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principle by which the relative ages of sedimentary rock layers are ordinarily determined.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, relative ages · **What happens:** identify, be · **To what, where:** principle

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 276 «How old is it? Rock layers, rock clocks, amber and the long story of life» 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/276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e1:1
# text = Identify the principle by which the relative ages of sedimentary rock layers are ordinarily determined.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	principle	principle	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	8	det	_	_
7	relative	relative	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	ages	age	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	sedimentary	sedimentary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
11	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	layers	layer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
13	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
14	ordinarily	ordinarily	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	determined	determined	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	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 principle |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent principle=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | the relative ages of sedimentary rock layers |  |  |  |  | determined, ordinarily *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 thickest layer is always the oldest

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e1:o1:1
# text = The thickest layer is always the oldest
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	thickest	thick	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	3	amod	_	_
3	layer	layer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	oldest	old	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the thickest layer |  |  |  |  | always, old *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Layers situated lower in a sequence are generally older than those above them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e1:o2:1
# text = Layers situated lower in a sequence are generally older than those above them
1	Layers	layer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	situated	situate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	lower	low	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	sequence	sequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	generally	generally	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	conj	_	_
10	than	than	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	those	that	PRON	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	9	obl	_	_
12	above	above	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **situate** | past | Layers |  |  | a sequence |  | low *property* | vn put-9.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent in sequence=Destination |
| 2 | **is** | present | Layers *not said here* |  |  |  |  | than those; generally, old *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The age of a layer is determined by its colour alone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e1:o3:1
# text = The age of a layer is determined by its colour alone
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	layer	layer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	determined	determine	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **determine** | present · passive | age's colour | the age of a layer |  |  |  | alone *property* | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Layers situated higher in a sequence are invariably older than those beneath them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e1:o4:1
# text = Layers situated higher in a sequence are invariably older than those beneath them
1	Layers	layer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	situated	situate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	higher	high	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	sequence	sequence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	invariably	invariably	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	conj	_	_
10	than	than	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	those	that	PRON	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	9	obl	_	_
12	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **situate** | past | Layers |  |  | a sequence |  | beneath them *= they*; high *property* | vn put-9.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent in sequence=Destination |
| 2 | **is** | present | Layers *not said here* |  |  |  |  | than those; invariably, old *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**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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