Genki 2 Grammar


The Phrase i dont understand grammatically is the one within brackets

> ある調査の結果を見てみましょう。この調査では、日本人の大学生とアメリカら日本に来ている留学生に写真を見せて、[
> それがどんな感情を表している写真か答えてもらいました ]

If i were to translate this phrase i would end up with: they answered, which
pictures that represent feelings?

and somehow that doesnt make sense.

So my question is what is どんな connected to. to 写真 or to 感情. And where doese
the relative clause for 写真 start and end? And wouldnt the meaning that is
intended be stated by this following phrase: それがどんな感情を表しているかを答えてもらいました、so the
word 写真 after 表している is not needed and the particle を should be after the
question marker か。

I hope you can help me understand this point.




Let's break this sentence down bit by bit, it'll help you see the grammatical
structure of it.

The entire sentence:

> それがどんな感情を表している写真か答えてもらいました  
>  I got the answer to what kind of feeling is that picture representing.  
>  (OR) (The other person) answered to what kind of feeling is that picture
> representing.

Staring from 写真 and the relative clause：

> 写真 picture  
>  感情を表している representing feeling

Using the relative clause to modify the noun 写真：

> 感情を表している写真 picture that is representing feeling  
>  **どんな感情** を表している写真か picture that is representing **what kind of feeling**?

Adding the rest:

> それが **どんな感情** を表している写真か That's a picture that is representing **what kind of
> feeling**?  
>

> 答えてもらいました receiving (the act of) answering, aka the other person did answer.

> それが **どんな感情** を表している写真か答えてもらいました  
>  I got the answer to "that's a picture that is representing **what kind of
> feeling**?"  
>  (In more natural English) I got the answer to what kind of feeling is that
> picture representing.  
>  (OR) (The other person) answered to what kind of feeling is that picture
> representing.




> what is どんな connected to. to 写真 or to 感情. And where does the relative clause
> for 写真 start and end?

どんな connects to 感情 and どんな・・・表している is the relative clause modifying 写真 (Very
literally: what-emotion-expressing photo).

> And wouldn't the meaning that is intended be stated by this following
> phrase: それがどんな感情を表しているかを答えてもらいました、so the word 写真 after 表している is not needed
> and the particle を should be after the question marker か。

Your sentence is correct, but を is optional here. The following question is
related:

  * [を after particle (であるかを)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/57145/45489)

So all of below are possible and mean basically the same in that context.

  1. それがどんな感情を表している **写真か** 答えてもらいました
  2. それがどんな感情を表している **写真かを** 答えてもらいました
  3. それがどんな感情を表している **か** 答えてもらいました
  4. それがどんな感情を表している **かを** 答えてもらいました

