--- title: Ascertain the present condition of the majority of the world's mount… — Glaciers and ice ages · tree and pragmatics description: Ascertain the present condition of the majority of the world's mountain glaciers. Exam question 4 of lesson 54 «Glaciers and ice ages» 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 wrong. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/54-glaciers-and-ice-ages/e4/) [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/) / [Glaciers and ice ages](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/54-glaciers-and-ice-ages/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · Glaciers and ice ages Ascertain the present condition of the majority of the world's mountain glaciers. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, condition · **To what, where:** present condition, majority This is exam question 4 of lesson 54 «Glaciers and ice ages» 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/54-glaciers-and-ice-ages/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:geography:54-glaciers-and-ice-ages:e4:1 # text = Ascertain the present condition of the majority of the world's mountain glaciers. 1 Ascertain ascertain VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 present present ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 condition condition NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obj _ _ 5 of of ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 majority majority NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nmod _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 world world NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 11 's 's PART POS _ 10 case _ _ 12 mountain mountain NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 compound _ _ 13 glaciers glacier NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 14 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the present condition of the majority of the world's mountain glaciers | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent condition=Topic | | 2 | **condition** | | | the majority of the world's mountain glaciers | | | | | nom condition «state transitive»: of=patient | 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} They are expanding rapidly in all regions ```conllu # sent_id = question:geography:54-glaciers-and-ice-ages:e4:o1:1 # text = They are expanding rapidly in all regions 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 expanding expand VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 rapidly rapidly ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 all all DET DT PronType=Tot 7 det _ _ 7 regions region NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **expand** | present · progressive | They | | | all regions | | rapidly *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | ### Option 2 {#o2} They have remained unaltered since 1850 ```conllu # sent_id = question:geography:54-glaciers-and-ice-ages:e4:o2:1 # text = They have remained unaltered since 1850 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 remained remain VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 unaltered unalter VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 xcomp _ _ 5 since since ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 1850 1850 NUM CD NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **remain** | present · perfect | They | | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **unalter** | participle | They *not said here* | | | | since 1850 | | tree rules | ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} They are diminishing rapidly in consequence of human-caused warming ```conllu # sent_id = question:geography:54-glaciers-and-ice-ages:e4:o3:1 # text = They are diminishing rapidly in consequence of human-caused warming 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 diminishing diminish VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 rapidly rapidly ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 consequence consequence NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ _ 7 of of ADP IN _ 11 case _ _ 8 human human ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 amod _ SpaceAfter=No 9 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 10 caused cause VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 11 amod _ _ 11 warming warming NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **diminish** | present · progressive | They | | | consequence of human caused warming | | rapidly *property* | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient | | 2 | **cause** | participle | | | | | | | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition | ### Option 4 {#o4} They have entirely disappeared ```conllu # sent_id = question:geography:54-glaciers-and-ice-ages:e4:o4:1 # text = They have entirely disappeared 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 2 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 3 entirely entirely ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 4 disappeared disappear VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **disappear** | present · perfect | They | | | | | entirely *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | **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. - ← previous: [Glaciers and ice ages, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/54-glaciers-and-ice-ages/e3/) - next →: [Coasts and caves, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/55-coasts-and-caves/t1/) - ↑ back to [Glaciers and ice ages](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/geography/54-glaciers-and-ice-ages/)