Praise and criticism: giving and taking feedback

Tests: 3 of 11 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: plain · Understood: 6 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 38 of the arts course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.

Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.

Test 1 · wrong ✗

Your mate goes, "Harsh is honest, so I'll just say it's trash." What is the best answer?

1. Honest feedback must always be rude — no support
2. Saying "trash" is the most specific feedback — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. He is right, the harsher the better — no support
4. Harsh and vague gives no useful information — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 3: «Taking feedback is a skill too: listen to the end, say thanks, and decide later what to use, instead of answering every point with "yeah but".», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «feedback» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · wrong ✗

What would happen if Austin had stopped after his first butterfly?

1. He would never have seen how much better it could get — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. His classmates would have drawn it for him — ← Mova's choice · score 3
3. The butterfly would have turned out perfect anyway, as first tries always do — no support
4. His first drawing would have improved by itself — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 7: «In the "Austin's Butterfly" story told by the teacher Ron Berger, a young boy drew a butterfly six times, and kind, specific feedback from classmates made each…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «draw» (+2); the same thing acted on «butterfly» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · right ✓

A kid from Phoenix says six drafts is "so extra" ("extra" means over the top). Which is true?

1. Drafts are only for maths homework — no support
2. Your first try always shows your best — no support
3. Only lazy people need more than one draft — no support
4. Drafts with feedback can make work much better — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 7: «In the "Austin's Butterfly" story told by the teacher Ron Berger, a young boy drew a butterfly six times, and kind, specific feedback from classmates made each…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «make» (+4); the same property (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · wrong ✗

In a cartoon, a teacher's red marks turn into monsters that chase a boy. What are marks really for?

1. Showing that the teacher dislikes you — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Helping you find and fix mistakes — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Scaring pupils into practising more — no support
4. Making the page look more colourful — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · right ✓

Owen thinks two stars means "only two out of five". What is the correction?

1. Two stars means he must repeat the year — no support
2. It means two people in the class liked it and everybody else did not — no support
3. It means two good points and one wish to work on — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
4. It is a score out of five, so he did badly — score 0

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 3, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 38, line 11: «"Two stars and a wish", used in many UK schools, means two good things and one thing to improve; it is not a score out of five.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «wish» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · wrong ✗

Isla cries "all arvo" ("arvo" means afternoon) over a mean comment. Whose feedback is worth listening to?

1. Nobody at all, ever — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Only the meanest comments, as they are honest — no support
3. People who know her and want her to improve — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Every stranger who comments on any video — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · wrong ✗

Jamie says, "Flat? I'm boss at singing" ("boss" means great). What would help him check?

1. Singing louder so it cannot be flat — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Recording himself and listening back — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Asking a friend who cannot sing — no support
4. Ignoring the coach completely — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · wrong ✗

Ibrahim's mum asks "why lie?". Which is true?

1. Honest people are never kind — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. You can be kind and honest at once — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Lies are fine if your sister smiles — no support
4. Kind people always tell small lies — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · right ✓

Emma writes "critics are haters, period" ("period" means end of discussion). Which is fairer?

1. She is wrong to like the film at all — no support
2. Taste in films is exactly the same for everyone, so critics must be wrong — no support
3. Critics give reasons, and she can disagree with reasons — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. Critics are paid to hate every film — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 26, line 12: «Critics and review sites give scores, but those are opinions, and your own taste may differ.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «give» (+4); the same doer «critics» (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · wrong ✗

Arjun's friend says, "Then why are you asking, re?" ("re" is a friendly call). What has Arjun been doing?

1. Listening carefully to every point — no support
2. Arguing back instead of listening — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Writing down every comment in a notebook — no support
4. Saying thank you too many times — ← Mova's choice · score 8

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 4 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 14, line 3: «Picture Hannah's watercolour sky bleeding into the sea: she panics, but that spreading is often the most beautiful bit, and many painters say "happy accidents"…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same action «say» (+3). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · wrong ✗

Your teammate says "ta, I'll count it in next time" ("ta" means thanks). What made the feedback work?

1. It was sent to her by a stranger online — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. It was kind, clear and about one moment — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It listed every mistake in the whole song — no support
4. It was shouted in front of the audience — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the principal characteristic of feedback that assists improvement.

1. It consists solely of unqualified praise — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. It is specific, naming one strength and one point to improve — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It enumerates every defect simultaneously so that none may be overlooked — no support
4. It is severe and general so that it is remembered — no support

Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following most accurately characterises the method "two stars and a wish"?

1. A rating of two points out of a maximum of five — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. A penalty imposed for unsatisfactory work — no support
3. A wish expressed by the teacher for a better pupil — no support
4. Two commendations and one suggestion for improvement — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning a singer's perception of their own pitch.

1. Small errors are frequently inaudible to the singer — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Recordings invariably distort the pitch of a voice — no support
3. Every singer perceives every error without assistance — no support
4. Pitch cannot be assessed by any listener — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Ascertain the conduct most appropriate upon receipt of feedback which one has requested.

1. Solicitation of praise from persons who agree — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Immediate contradiction of every point raised — no support
3. Refusal to request feedback on any future occasion — no support
4. Attentive listening, thanks, and later consideration — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/arts/38-praise-and-criticism-giving-and-taking-feedback/