---
title: It is given that the designation "Silk Road" was not employed by med… — The Silk Road · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that the designation "Silk Road" was not employed by medieval merchants. Ascertain its origin. Exam question 4 of lesson 28 «The Silk Road» of the geography course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was righ
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/28-the-silk-road/e4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Geography](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/) / [The Silk Road](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/28-the-silk-road/) / e4

# Exam question 4 · The Silk Road

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that the designation "Silk Road" was not employed by medieval merchants. Ascertain its origin.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** medieval merchants, you · **What happens:** give, not employ, ascertain · **To what, where:** It, designation, origin

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 28 «The Silk Road» of the geography 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/geography/28-the-silk-road/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that the designation "Silk Road" was not employed by medieval merchants.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:28-the-silk-road:e4:1
# text = It is given that the designation "Silk Road" was not employed by medieval merchants.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	designation	designation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	Silk	Silk	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	Road	Road	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
11	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
14	by	by	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	medieval	medieval	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	merchants	merchant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **employ** | past · passive | medieval merchants | the designation |  |  |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent 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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Ascertain its origin.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:28-the-silk-road:e4:2
# text = Ascertain its origin.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	origin	origin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | designation's origin |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent origin=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was devised by the geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:28-the-silk-road:e4:o1:1
# text = It was devised by the geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	devised	devise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	geographer	geographer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	Ferdinand	Ferdinand	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	_
8	von	von	PROPN	NNP	_	7	flat	_	_
9	Richthofen	Richthofen	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	flat	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	1877	1877	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devise** | past · passive | the geographer | It |  | 1877 |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was devised by Marco Polo in the account of his travels

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:28-the-silk-road:e4:o2:1
# text = It was devised by Marco Polo in the account of his travels
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	devised	devise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	Marco	Marco	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl:agent	_	_
6	Polo	Polo	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	flat	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
10	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	travels	travel	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devise** | past · passive | Marco | It |  | the account |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |
| 2 | **travel** | present | Marco *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was devised by the Roman Senate in antiquity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:28-the-silk-road:e4:o3:1
# text = It was devised by the Roman Senate in antiquity
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	devised	devise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	Roman	Roman	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	Senate	Senate	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	antiquity	antiquity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devise** | past · passive | the Roman Senate | It |  | antiquity |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was devised by Kublai Khan in an imperial decree

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:28-the-silk-road:e4:o4:1
# text = It was devised by Kublai Khan in an imperial decree
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	devised	devise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	Kublai	Kublai	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl:agent	_	_
6	Khan	Khan	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	flat	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	imperial	imperial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	decree	decree	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devise** | past · passive | Kublai | It |  | a imperial decree |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [The Silk Road, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/28-the-silk-road/e3/)
- next →: [The spice trade and the Indian Ocean, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/29-the-spice-trade-and-the-indian-ocean/t1/)
- ↑ back to [The Silk Road](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/28-the-silk-road/)