Soft words for hard things: money and poverty and work, firing and the economy
Tests: 6 of 12 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★★ · Understood: 4 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 20 of the euphemisms 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 · ★★ · right ✓
News line: "Carmaker to cut 2,000 jobs in major restructuring." What is "restructuring" hiding here?
- 1. Thousands of job cuts — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. More cars made — no support
- 3. A change of logo — no support
- 4. A new factory roof — 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 2 · ★★ · wrong ✗
"Dad got let go today, mum's being weird about it" — what happened to Dad?
- 1. He left a club — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. He was let out of hospital — no support
- 3. He got a day off — no support
- 4. He lost his job — ✓ 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
Test 3 · ★★ · right ✓
A company email: "As part of streamlining, the Leeds office will close." What will happen to the Leeds workers?
- 1. They will get a pay rise — no support
- 2. They are likely to lose their jobs — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
- 3. They will swim in a stream — no support
- 4. They will get faster computers — 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 20, line 5: «For example, "We are streamlining the team" from a manager usually means some people are about to lose their jobs.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «lose» (+2); the same thing acted on «jobs» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★★ · right ✓
A politician: "This isn't job cuts, it's rightsizing." Which is true?
- 1. It is still cutting jobs — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. It means making uniforms fit — no support
- 3. It means hiring more people — no support
- 4. It means paying people more — 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
Test 5 · ★★ · right ✓
"boss says we're furloughed till March, so like paid holiday??" — is it a paid holiday?
- 1. Yes, it is a paid holiday for everybody — no support
- 2. No, they are sent home, often without pay — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
- 3. No, they must work at home — no support
- 4. Yes, they get double pay — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 20: «"Furloughed" means sent home from work for a period, often unpaid.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «send» (+3); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · ★★ · wrong ✗
A press release: "Our director leaves to spend more time with family." Gossip at the office says what probably happened?
- 1. He had triplets — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. He moved next door to family — no support
- 3. He won the lottery — no support
- 4. He was forced out — ✓ 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
Test 7 · ★★ · wrong ✗
Gran reads a letter: "Your account is three months in arrears." What does it mean?
- 1. The account is closed — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. She is behind on payments — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. She is three months ahead — no support
- 4. She has a bonus — 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 · ★★ · right ✓
Liv reckons "made redundant" means you did the same job twice. Right?
- 1. No, it means losing your job because the post was cut — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
- 2. Yes, it means getting promoted — no support
- 3. No, it means getting a pay rise — no support
- 4. Yes, it means repeating the same work twice over — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 18: «"Made redundant" (UK) means losing your job because the post was cut.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «lose» (+3); the same thing acted on «job» (+2); its «because» matches the remembered cause (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · ★★ · wrong ✗
"Mate, I'm not unemployed, I'm in transition, ok?" What is he really?
- 1. Moving house — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. On a bus — no support
- 3. Out of work — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Learning a language — 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
Test 10 · ★★ · right ✓
The shop owner sighs: "Bit of a cash flow problem, lads, wages next week." What is going on?
- 1. The till is broken — no support
- 2. He cannot pay the wages now — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
- 3. He is giving a bonus — score 8
- 4. The shop is closing for good — no support
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 18, line 3: «Owners say a pet was "rehomed" or is "free to a good home" so giving it away sounds kind rather than unwanted.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «owners» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 11 · ★★ · wrong ✗
A bank calls a family "subprime borrowers". What does the bank think of them?
- 1. They borrow only small sums — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. They work for the bank — no support
- 3. They are its best customers — no support
- 4. They have a bad credit history — ✓ 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
Test 12 · ★★ · wrong ✗
"the bill says outstanding balance £40 — outstanding means great, so all good?" — is all good?
- 1. Yes, it is a reward of £40 — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Yes, they owe you £40 — no support
- 3. No, £40 is still owed — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. No, the bill is wrong — 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 ✗
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises an employee subject to "involuntary separation"?
- 1. The employee has resigned of his own accord — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The employee has been granted leave — no support
- 3. The employee has been dismissed — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. The employee has transferred departments — 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 2 · formal language · right ✓
It is given that an account is designated "delinquent" by a financial institution in the United States. Identify the principal meaning of this designation.
- 1. The debt has not been repaid when due — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. The account holder has been convicted of an offence — no support
- 3. The account has been closed with a nil balance — no support
- 4. The account has accrued additional interest in the holder's favour — 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 · wrong ✗
Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning a company announcement that a senior executive is departing "to pursue other opportunities".
- 1. The executive has received an award — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The executive has in all likelihood been dismissed or compelled to resign — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. The executive has commenced a course of study for personal enjoyment and leisure — no support
- 4. The executive has retired with substantial wealth — 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 ✗
Whereas an undertaking states that it is "downsizing", determine the consequence most likely to ensue for its personnel.
- 1. The relocation of all staff to larger premises — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. An increase in remuneration — no support
- 3. A reduction in the number of jobs — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. A reduction in the size of furniture — 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
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/euphemisms/20-debt-and-jobs/