---
title: Identify the principal process by which the majority of fossils are… — Fossils: how we know about life long ago · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal process by which the majority of fossils are formed. Exam question 1 of lesson 74 «Fossils: how we know about life long ago» 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 was wrong.
---

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# Exam question 1 · Fossils: how we know about life long ago

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal process by which the majority of fossils are formed.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, principal process · **What happens:** identify, form · **To what, where:** principal process, majority

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 74 «Fossils: how we know about life long ago» 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/74-fossils-life-long-ago/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal process by which the majority of fossils are formed.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	process	process	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	majority	majority	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	fossils	fossil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
11	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	formed	form	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	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 principal process |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent process=Theme |
| 2 | **form** | present · passive | the principal process | the majority of fossils |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location subject=Theme |

<!-- .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 hardening of bones by repeated lightning strikes during storms

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:e1:o1:1
# text = The hardening of bones by repeated lightning strikes during storms
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hardening	hardening	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	bones	bone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	lightning	lightning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	strikes	strike	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	during	during	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	storms	storm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 2 | **strike** | present | the hardening of bones by repeated lightning |  |  |  | during storms |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **harden** |  | bones |  |  |  |  |  | nom hardening «state intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Instantaneous petrification of the organism at the moment of death

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:e1:o2:1
# text = Instantaneous petrification of the organism at the moment of death
1	Instantaneous	instantaneous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	petrification	petrification	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	organism	organism	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	moment	moment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	death	death	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **petrify** |  |  | the organism at the moment of death |  |  |  |  | nom petrification «process transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The carving of bones into stone by the action of rivers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:e1:o3:1
# text = The carving of bones into stone by the action of rivers
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	carving	carving	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	bones	bone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	into	into	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	stone	stone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	rivers	river	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **act** |  | rivers |  |  |  |  |  | nom action «act intransitive»: of=agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Rapid burial of remains followed by gradual replacement by minerals

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:e1:o4:1
# text = Rapid burial of remains followed by gradual replacement by minerals
1	Rapid	rapid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	burial	burial	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	remains	remains	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	2	nmod	_	_
5	followed	follow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	gradual	gradual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	replacement	replacement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	minerals	mineral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl:agent	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | participle |  | remains *not said here* |  |  |  | by gradual replacement | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme by replacement=Location |
| 2 | **bury** |  |  | remains |  |  |  |  | nom burial «event transitive»: of=patient |

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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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