--- title: Ascertain the approximate population of the world at the commencemen… — How we got here: the big steps on one… · tree and pragmatics description: Ascertain the approximate population of the world at the commencement of agriculture. Exam question 4 of lesson 61 «How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/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/) / [History](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/) / [How we got here: the big steps on one…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline Ascertain the approximate population of the world at the commencement of agriculture. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain · **To what, where:** approximate population, commencement This is exam question 4 of lesson 61 «How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline» 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/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:e4:1 # text = Ascertain the approximate population of the world at the commencement of agriculture. 1 Ascertain ascertain VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 approximate approximate ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 population population 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 world world NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nmod _ _ 8 at at ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 commencement commencement NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obl _ _ 11 of of ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 12 agriculture agriculture NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 13 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the approximate population of the world | | the commencement of agriculture | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent population=Topic | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1} A few million persons ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:e4:o1:1 # text = A few million persons 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 2 few few ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 3 million million NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 4 nummod _ _ 4 persons person NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 2 {#o2} Approximately eight billion persons ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:e4:o2:1 # text = Approximately eight billion persons 1 Approximately approximately ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 2 eight eight NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 3 compound _ _ 3 billion billion NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 4 nummod _ _ 4 persons person NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 3 {#o3} Approximately fifty persons ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:e4:o3:1 # text = Approximately fifty persons 1 Approximately approximately ADV RB _ 2 advmod _ _ 2 fifty fifty NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 3 nummod _ _ 3 persons person NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 4 {#o4} Approximately one billion persons ```conllu # sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:e4:o4:1 # text = Approximately one billion persons 1 Approximately approximately ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 2 one one NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 3 compound _ _ 3 billion billion NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 4 nummod _ _ 4 persons person NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. **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: [How we got here: the big steps on one…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/e3/) - next →: [Everyday inventions: pots, boats, whee…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/62-everyday-inventions-pots-boats-wheels-horses-clocks-and-glasses/t1/) - ↑ back to [How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/)