---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Clocks before clocks: sundials, water… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the clock constructed in 1088 by Su Song? Exam question 4 of lesson 122 «Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and hourglasses» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the
---

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# Exam question 4 · Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the clock constructed in 1088 by Su Song?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris, construct · **To what, where:** clock, 1088

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 122 «Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and hourglasses» of the world 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/world/122-clocks-before-clocks/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:e4:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the clock constructed in 1088 by Su Song?
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	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	clock	clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	constructed	construct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	acl	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	1088	1088	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	11	obl	_	_
14	by	by	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	Su	Su	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	Song	song	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	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 |  | the clock |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **construct** | participle |  | the clock *not said here* |  | 1088 |  | by Su Song | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A water-powered tower exceeding ten metres, displaying the motion of the stars

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:e4:o1:1
# text = A water-powered tower exceeding ten metres, displaying the motion of the stars
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
2	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	powered	power	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	tower	tower	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	exceeding	exceed	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
7	ten	ten	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	metres	metre	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	displaying	display	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	conj	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	motion	motion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	stars	star	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **power** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **exceed** | gerund | a powered tower *not said here* | ten metres |  |  |  |  | vn exceed-90 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot metre=Theme |
| 3 | **display** | gerund | a powered tower *not said here* | the motion of the stars |  |  |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent motion=Theme |
| 4 | **motion** |  | the stars |  |  |  |  |  | nom motion «communication intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A sundial carved upon the wall of a palace

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:e4:o2:1
# text = A sundial carved upon the wall of a palace
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	sundial	sundial	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	carved	carve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	wall	wall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	palace	palace	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carve** | participle |  | a sundial *not said here* |  |  |  | upon the wall of a palace | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A pendulum clock of small dimensions for domestic use

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:e4:o3:1
# text = A pendulum clock of small dimensions for domestic use
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	pendulum	pendulum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	clock	clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	dimensions	dimension	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	domestic	domestic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A candle clock enclosed within a lantern

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:e4:o4:1
# text = A candle clock enclosed within a lantern
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	candle	candle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	clock	clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	enclosed	enclose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	within	within	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	lantern	lantern	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **enclose** | participle |  | a candle clock *not said here* |  |  |  | within a lantern | vn contiguous\_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: [Clocks before clocks: sundials, water…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/122-clocks-before-clocks/e3/)
- next →: [Pendulums, Greenwich and railway time,…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/123-pendulums-greenwich-atomic-clocks/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and hourglasses](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/122-clocks-before-clocks/)