---
title: «found a shell fossil on a mountain, so the flood must've covered th… — Fossils: how we know about life long ago · tree and pragmatics
description: «found a shell fossil on a mountain, so the flood must've covered the mountains» How could a scientist test other ideas? Test 3 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 
---

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# Test 3 · Fossils: how we know about life long ago

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«found a shell fossil on a mountain, so the flood must've covered the mountains» How could a scientist test other ideas?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** find, cover · **To what, where:** shell fossil, mountain, flood

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 74 «Fossils: how we know about life long ago» of the biology course of Mova's primary school. 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/#t3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:t3:1
# text = «found a shell fossil on a mountain, so the flood must've covered the mountains» How could a scientist test other ideas?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	found	find	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	fossil	fossil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	mountain	mountain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	flood	flood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj:pass	_	_
13	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	've	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	15	aux	_	_
15	covered	cover	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	ccomp	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	mountains	mountain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	_
19	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	20	advmod	_	_
20	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
21	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
22	scientist	scientist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	23	compound	_	_
23	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obj	_	_
24	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	25	amod	_	_
25	ideas	idea	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	23	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** *in a quote* | past |  | a shell fossil |  | a mountain |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent fossil=Attribute clause=Theme |
| 2 | **cover** *in a quote* | must · perfect · passive |  | the flood |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
Decide it was dropped by a bird and stop looking

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:t3:o1:1
# text = Decide it was dropped by a bird and stop looking
1	Decide	decide	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	dropped	drop	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	ccomp	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	stop	stop	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
10	looking	look	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **decide** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **drop** | past · passive | a bird | it |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 3 | **stop** | present | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality |
| 4 | **look** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Count the shells and multiply the number by the height of the mountain

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:t3:o2:1
# text = Count the shells and multiply the number by the height of the mountain
1	Count	count	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	shells	shell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	multiply	multiply	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	height	height	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	mountain	mountain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **count** | imperative | you *not said here* | the shells |  |  |  |  | vn multiply-108 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shell=Theme |
| 2 | **multiply** | infinitive | you *not said here* | the number |  |  |  | by the height of the mountain | vn multiply-108-1 «NP V NP PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent number=Theme by height=Co-Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Look for evidence that the rocks formed on a sea floor and rose

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:t3:o3:1
# text = Look for evidence that the rocks formed on a sea floor and rose
1	Look	look	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	for	for	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	formed	form	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	floor	floor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	rose	rose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for evidence | vn rummage-35.5 «NP V PP.location PP.theme»: agent=Agent for evidence=Theme |
| 2 | **form** | participle · passive | evidence *not said here* | the rocks |  | a sea floor and rose |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: subject=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Assume the oldest story is the right one

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:74-fossils-life-long-ago:t3:o4:1
# text = Assume the oldest story is the right one
1	Assume	assume	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	oldest	old	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	4	amod	_	_
4	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **assume** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn adopt-93.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | present | the oldest story | the right one |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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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