---
title: A geologist finds the same 270-million-year-old reptile fossil in Br… — Moving continents: from Pangaea to today · tree and pragmatics
description: A geologist finds the same 270-million-year-old reptile fossil in Brazil and South Africa. What is the best explanation? Test 4 · ★★★ of lesson 43 «Moving continents: from Pangaea to today» of the geography course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and 
---

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# Test 4 · ★★★ · Moving continents: from Pangaea to today

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A geologist finds the same 270-million-year-old reptile fossil in Brazil and South Africa. What is the best explanation?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** geologist, best explanation · **What happens:** find, be · **To what, where:** same old reptile fossil, Brazil

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★★★ of lesson 43 «Moving continents: from Pangaea to today» of the geography 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/geography/43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A geologist finds the same 270-million-year-old reptile fossil in Brazil and South Africa.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today:t4:1
# text = A geologist finds the same 270-million-year-old reptile fossil in Brazil and South Africa.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	geologist	geologist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	finds	find	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
5	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
6	270	270	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	8	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	million	million	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
13	reptile	reptile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	fossil	fossil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	Brazil	Brazil	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
17	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
18	South	South	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	_
19	Africa	Africa	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** | present | a geologist | the same old reptile fossil |  | Brazil and South Africa |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fossil=Topic |

<!-- .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:* What is the best explanation?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today:t4:2
# text = What is the best explanation?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	explanation	explanation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the best explanation |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reptile lived everywhere on Earth at once

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today:t4:o1:1
# text = The reptile lived everywhere on Earth at once
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reptile	reptile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lived	live	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	everywhere	everywhere	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	3	advmod	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | past | the reptile |  |  | Earth |  | everywhere *property* | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme at once=Location |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fossil was copied by a museum

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today:t4:o2:1
# text = The fossil was copied by a museum
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fossil	fossil	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	copied	copy	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	museum	museum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **copy** | past · passive | a museum | the fossil |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The two lands were joined when the reptile lived

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today:t4:o3:1
# text = The two lands were joined when the reptile lived
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
3	lands	land	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	joined	join	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	reptile	reptile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	lived	live	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **join** | past · passive |  | the two lands |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **live** | past | the reptile |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The reptile swam right across the wide Atlantic Ocean

```conllu
# sent_id = question:geography:43-moving-continents-from-pangaea-to-today:t4:o4:1
# text = The reptile swam right across the wide Atlantic Ocean
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reptile	reptile	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	swam	swim	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	right	right	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	across	across	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	wide	wide	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	Atlantic	Atlantic	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	Ocean	Ocean	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swim** | past | the reptile |  |  | the wide Atlantic Ocean |  | right *property* | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme across ocean=Trajectory |

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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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