---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpe… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the Dust Bowl of the 1930s? Exam question 3 of lesson 291 «Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

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# Exam question 3 · Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the Dust Bowl of the 1930s?

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

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 291 «Bees, worms and soil: the hidden helpers of our food» 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/291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:e3:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the Dust Bowl of the 1930s?
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	11	det	_	_
10	Dust	Dust	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	Bowl	Bowl	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	1930s	1930	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan|NumForm=Combi|NumType=Card	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	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 Dust Bowl of the 1930s |  |  |  | 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 -->
A volcanic eruption in the western United States

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:e3:o1:1
# text = A volcanic eruption in the western United States
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	volcanic	volcanic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	eruption	eruption	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
6	western	western	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	United	United	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	States	State	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A period of abundant harvests upon the American prairies, owing to deep and frequent ploughing

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:e3:o2:1
# text = A period of abundant harvests upon the American prairies, owing to deep and frequent ploughing
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	abundant	abundant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	harvests	harvest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	prairies	prairie	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	owing	owe	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
12	to	to	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
13	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
15	frequent	frequent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	conj	_	_
16	ploughing	ploughing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **owe** | gerund | a period of abundant harvests upon the American prairies *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to deep ploughing *goal* | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP PP.goal»: agent=Agent to ploughing=Goal |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The erosion by wind of dried, ploughed prairie soil, resulting in the loss of many farms

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:e3:o3:1
# text = The erosion by wind of dried, ploughed prairie soil, resulting in the loss of many farms
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	erosion	erosion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	dried	dry	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	ploughed	plough	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
9	prairie	prairie	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	resulting	result	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	loss	loss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	farms	farm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dry** | participle |  | wind *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **plough** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_instr-10.4.2 «NP.agent V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **result** | gerund | the erosion by wind and ploughed prairie soil *not said here* |  |  | the loss of many farms |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in loss=Location |
| 4 | **erode** |  | wind |  |  |  |  |  | nom erosion «process transitive»: by=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A flood which deposited great quantities of dust upon the plains

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:291-bees-worms-and-soil-the-hidden-helpers-of-our-food:e3:o4:1
# text = A flood which deposited great quantities of dust upon the plains
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	flood	flood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	deposited	deposit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	quantities	quantity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	dust	dust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
9	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	plains	plain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **deposit** | past | a flood | great quantities of dust |  | the plains |  |  | vn put-9.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent quantity=Theme upon plain=Destination |

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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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