--- title: Identify the principal error in the calculations of Christopher Colu… — Explorers: around Africa and Columbus · tree and pragmatics description: Identify the principal error in the calculations of Christopher Columbus. Exam question 1 of lesson 26 «Explorers: around Africa and Columbus» of the history 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/history/26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus/e1/) [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/) / [History](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/) / [Explorers: around Africa and Columbus](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus/) / e1 # Exam question 1 · Explorers: around Africa and Columbus Identify the principal error in the calculations of Christopher Columbus. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, Christopher · **What happens:** identify, calculate · **To what, where:** principal error, calculations This is exam question 1 of lesson 26 «Explorers: around Africa and Columbus» of the history 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/history/26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus/#e1). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus:e1:1 # text = Identify the principal error in the calculations of Christopher Columbus. 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 error error NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obj _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 calculations calculation NOUN NNS Number=Plur 1 obl _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 Christopher Christopher PROPN NNP Number=Sing 7 nmod _ _ 10 Columbus Columbus PROPN NNP Number=Sing 9 flat _ SpaceAfter=No 11 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal error | | the calculations of Christopher | | | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent error=Theme | | 2 | **calculate** | | Christopher | | | | | | nom calculation «act intransitive»: of=agent | 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} He believed the Earth to be flat and that ships could fall off ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus:e1:o1:1 # text = He believed the Earth to be flat and that ships could fall off 1 He he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 believed believe VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 Earth Earth PROPN NNP Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 5 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 6 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 7 cop _ _ 7 flat flat ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 xcomp _ _ 8 and and CCONJ CC _ 12 cc _ _ 9 that that SCONJ IN _ 12 mark _ _ 10 ships ship NOUN NNS Number=Plur 12 nsubj _ _ 11 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 12 aux _ _ 12 fall fall VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 2 conj _ _ 13 off off ADP RP _ 12 compound:prt _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **believe** | past | He | the Earth | | | | | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer earth=Stimulus | | 2 | **is** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | | | | | flat *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **fall off** | could | ships | | | | | | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute | ### Option 2 {#o2} He miscounted his ships ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus:e1:o2:1 # text = He miscounted his ships 1 He he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 miscounted miscount VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 4 nmod:poss _ _ 4 ships ship NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **miscount** | past | He | his ships | | | | | tree rules | ### Option 3 {#o3} He mistook west for east ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus:e1:o3:1 # text = He mistook west for east 1 He he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 mistook mistake VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 west west ADV RB _ 2 advmod _ _ 4 for for ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 5 east east NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mistake** | past | He | | | | | for east; west *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4} He greatly underestimated the size of the Earth ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus:e1:o4:1 # text = He greatly underestimated the size of the Earth 1 He he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 greatly greatly ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 3 underestimated underestimate VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 size size NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ _ 6 of of ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 Earth Earth PROPN NNP Number=Sing 5 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **underestimate** | past | He | the size of the Earth | | | | greatly *property* | vn characterize-29.2-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent size=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: [Explorers: around Africa and Columbus, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus/t10/) - next →: [Explorers: around Africa and Columbus, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus/e2/) - ↑ back to [Explorers: around Africa and Columbus](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/26-explorers-around-africa-and-columbus/)