---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — How old is it? Rock layers, rock clock… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the presence of marine fossils upon the summit of Mount Everest? Exam question 4 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 dependen
---

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# Exam question 4 · How old is it? Rock layers, rock clocks, amber and the lon…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the presence of marine fossils upon the summit of Mount Everest?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** presence

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e4:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the presence of marine fossils upon the summit of Mount Everest?
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	10	det	_	_
10	presence	presence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	marine	marine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	fossils	fossil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
14	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	summit	summit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	_
17	of	of	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	Mount	Mount	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	_
19	Everest	Everest	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	?	?	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 |  | the presence of marine fossils upon the summit of Mount Everest |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fossils were deposited there by migrating birds

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e4:o1:1
# text = The fossils were deposited there by migrating birds
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fossils	fossil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	deposited	deposit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	4	advmod	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	migrating	migrate	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	amod	_	_
8	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl:agent	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **deposit** | past · passive | migrating birds | the fossils |  | there |  |  | vn put-9.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **migrate** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The summit has been submerged within the present century

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e4:o2:1
# text = The summit has been submerged within the present century
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	summit	summit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	submerged	submerge	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	within	within	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	present	present	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	century	century	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **submerge** | present · perfect · passive |  | the summit |  |  | century |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The rock was formed beneath the sea and subsequently uplifted by the collision of continents

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e4:o3:1
# text = The rock was formed beneath the sea and subsequently uplifted by the collision of continents
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	formed	form	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	beneath	beneath	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	subsequently	subsequently	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	uplifted	uplift	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	collision	collision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	continents	continent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **form** | past · passive |  | the rock |  |  |  | beneath the sea | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **uplift** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | by the collision of continents; subsequently *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 3 | **collide** |  | continents |  |  |  |  |  | nom collision «event intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fossils were transported there by mountaineers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:276-how-old-is-it-rock-layers-rock-clocks-amber-and-the-long-story-of-life:e4:o4:1
# text = The fossils were transported there by mountaineers
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fossils	fossil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	transported	transport	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	4	advmod	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	mountaineers	mountaineer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **transport** | past · passive | mountaineers | the fossils |  | there |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus subject=Experiencer |

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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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