---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises many… — From band to nation: families, tribes,… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises many present-day borders in Africa? Exam question 3 of lesson 66 «From band to nation: families, tribes, kingdoms, empires and countries» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the que
---

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# Exam question 3 · From band to nation: families, tribes, kingdoms, empires a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises many present-day borders in Africa?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** many day borders, Africa

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 66 «From band to nation: families, tribes, kingdoms, empires and countries» 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/66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries:e3:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises many present-day borders in Africa?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
10	present	present	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	borders	border	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	Africa	Africa	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | many day borders |  | Africa |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They follow the ancient walls and roads constructed by the Roman Empire across the continent

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries:e3:o1:1
# text = They follow the ancient walls and roads constructed by the Roman Empire across the continent
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	follow	follow	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	ancient	ancient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	walls	wall	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	roads	road	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	_
8	constructed	construct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	Roman	Roman	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	Empire	Empire	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obl:agent	_	_
13	across	across	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	continent	continent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | present | They | the ancient walls and roads |  |  |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wall=Theme |
| 2 | **construct** | participle |  | the ancient walls and roads *not said here* |  | the continent |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were chosen by referendum in every village

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries:e3:o2:1
# text = They were chosen by referendum in every village
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	chosen	choose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	referendum	referendum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	village	village	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **choose** | past · passive | referendum | They |  | every village |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were frequently drawn by European powers following the conference of 1884 to 1885

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries:e3:o3:1
# text = They were frequently drawn by European powers following the conference of 1884 to 1885
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	frequently	frequently	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	drawn	draw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	European	European	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	powers	power	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
8	following	follow	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	conference	conference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	1884	1884	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nmod	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	1885	1885	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **draw** | past · passive | European powers | They |  |  |  | follow the conference of 1884 to 1885; frequently *property* | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They have remained unaltered since the Stone Age

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries:e3:o4:1
# text = They have remained unaltered since the Stone Age
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	remained	remain	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	unaltered	unalter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	since	since	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	Stone	Stone	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	Age	Age	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **unalter** | present · perfect · passive |  | They |  |  | since the Stone Age |  | tree rules |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ← previous: [From band to nation: families, tribes,…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries/e2/)
- next →: [From band to nation: families, tribes,…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries/e4/)
- ↑ back to [From band to nation: families, tribes, kingdoms, empires and countries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/history/66-from-band-to-nation-families-tribes-kingdoms-empires-and-countries/)