Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin and war, the military and violence
Tests: 2 of 12 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 4 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 25 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 · ★ · wrong ✗
News: "Three soldiers were killed by friendly fire." Who fired the shots?
- 1. Nobody, it was an accident with a fire — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. A friendly neighbour — no support
- 3. The enemy, on purpose — no support
- 4. Their own side, by mistake — ✓ 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 2 · ★ · wrong ✗
"they said the target was neutralized, mate, that means dead, right?" — is the speaker right?
- 1. No, it means moved away — ← Mova's choice · score 0
- 2. No, it means calmed down — no support
- 3. Yes, it means killed — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. No, it means captured — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 19: «"No longer with us" means dead, not that the person moved away.», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «move away» (+4); the same property (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-6). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗
A government spokesman: "The minister's earlier statement is now inoperative." What does this admit?
- 1. The statement was too long — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The earlier statement was false — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. The minister's microphone broke — no support
- 4. The minister has left — 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 4 · ★ · wrong ✗
A leaked email says: "Today is a good day to bury bad news." What is the writer planning?
- 1. To cancel the news — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. To hold a funeral for an old friend from work — no support
- 3. To release bad news when nobody will notice — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. To bury a time capsule — 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 · ★ · wrong ✗
Report: "Police were called to disturbances in the city centre." What happened?
- 1. There was loud music — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. It was raining — no support
- 3. There were riots — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. There was a traffic jam — 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 6 · ★ · right ✓
"they called it enhanced interrogation, but it was torture, plain and simple" — what is the speaker saying?
- 1. It was a quiz — no support
- 2. The soft name hides torture — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
- 3. It was a long interview — no support
- 4. It was a friendly chat — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 25, line 21: «"Enhanced interrogation" means torture (US).», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same thing acted on «torture» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★ · right ✓
The news says a man was taken by "extraordinary rendition" to a "black site". What happened to him?
- 1. He was secretly moved to a secret prison — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score -1
- 2. He moved to a new house — no support
- 3. He went to a big concert in the city — no support
- 4. He visited a mine — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score -1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 25, line 22: «"Extraordinary rendition" means secretly moving a prisoner to another country for interrogation, long hard questioning (US).», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «move» (+2); the same property (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗
"the gang wanted him eliminated, that's how bad it got" — what did the gang want?
- 1. Him sent home — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Him out of a game — no support
- 3. Him killed — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Him left out of a photo — 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 · ★ · wrong ✗
Mia says: "Liquidate means turn into water, so the dictator melted the farmers?" Is she right?
- 1. Yes, it means melted — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Yes, it means watered their fields — no support
- 3. No, it means he paid them — no support
- 4. No, it means he killed them — ✓ 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 10 · ★ · wrong ✗
The campaign's "messaging" was criticised. What was criticised?
- 1. Its post office — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Its spin or propaganda — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Its text messages — no support
- 4. Its phone bills — 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 11 · ★ · wrong ✗
"Emergency measures were declared and the courts were closed." What has happened?
- 1. New ambulances arrived — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Normal rights and laws were suspended — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. A first aid course started — no support
- 4. Floods were measured — 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 ✗
A senator is accused of adding "earmarks" to the budget. What is he accused of?
- 1. Marking the pages with his ears — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Cutting the budget — no support
- 3. Signing the budget late — no support
- 4. Setting money aside for pet local projects — ✓ 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 1 · formal language · wrong ✗
Identify the principal meaning of the term "friendly fire" as employed in military reports.
- 1. A ceremonial salute by an ally — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. A fire lit for warmth by allied troops — no support
- 3. An attack inflicted upon one's own forces in error — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Shots discharged solely as a warning — 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 · wrong ✗
It is given that an official describes a former statement as "inoperative". Select the response consistent with the established usage of the term.
- 1. The former statement was translated — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The former statement was inaudible — no support
- 3. The former statement was abbreviated — no support
- 4. The former statement was untrue — ✓ 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 · wrong ✗
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the practice termed "enhanced interrogation"?
- 1. It is a test administered by machine — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. It is a lawful examination before a court — no support
- 3. It is a lengthier interview conducted with courtesy — no support
- 4. It is a euphemism for torture — ✓ 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 4 · formal language · right ✓
Ascertain the plain meaning of "black site" as employed in reports concerning the detention of prisoners.
- 1. A disused coal mine — no support
- 2. A website of dark design — no support
- 3. A secret prison — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
- 4. A building destroyed by fire — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 25, line 23: «"Black site" means a secret prison (US).», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «secret prison» (+2); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/euphemisms/25-spin-war-and-violence/