Soft words for hard things: lying and honesty and drinking and drugs
Tests: 7 of 13 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 5 of 17 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 29 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 ✓
Gran, about the twins' drawing: "Well, it's very... colourful." Which word best fits what she is doing?
- 1. Being diplomatic — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 12
- 2. Spinning a yarn — score 10
- 3. Fudging the figures — score 10
- 4. Pulling your leg — score 10
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 12, against 10 for the next best. Its support: lesson 26, line 3: «These words are mostly spin and hiding, not kindness: they make terrible things sound tidy, careful or even normal.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «words» (+4); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 2 · ★ · right ✓
"Mate, there's no homework today." "Seriously?" "Nah, just pulling your leg." Is there homework?
- 1. Yes, he was joking — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. No, he told the truth — no support
- 3. Only for some pupils — no support
- 4. Nobody knows — 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 ✓
News: "The company massaged the numbers to hide its losses." What did the company do?
- 1. Changed its figures to look better — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11
- 2. Paid a masseur — no support
- 3. Counted its money gently — score 3
- 4. Showed its real losses honestly — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 1 with score 11, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 29, line 16: «"Massaging the numbers" means changing data so it looks better than it really is.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same action «look» (+4); the same property (+1); a different doer (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗
"Dad's had one too many, so Mum's driving us home." Why is Mum driving?
- 1. Dad is too tired after a long day at work — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 2. Dad lost the car keys — score 4
- 3. Dad has drunk too much alcohol — ✓ the right answer · score 4
- 4. Dad ate too much cake — score 4
Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 27, line 12: «"Away" can mean in prison, as in "Her dad's away for a while".», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «dad» (+4); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 3, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗
Police: "The driver was over the limit." What did the driver do wrong?
- 1. Drove faster than the speed limit — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Drove with too many people — no support
- 3. Parked over a line — no support
- 4. Drove with too much alcohol in his blood — ✓ 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 6 · ★ · wrong ✗
"Course he caught a shark, it's a fish story," laughs the American aunt. What does she think?
- 1. The claim is exaggerated or made up — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Her nephew caught a real shark — no support
- 3. It is a story about a goldfish — ← Mova's choice · score 6
- 4. It is a true tale from a book — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 28, line 22: «"Telling stories" is what British adults say to a child who is lying.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same thing acted on «stories» (+2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★ · right ✓
"He embroidered the story a bit — there were two dogs, not twenty." What did he do?
- 1. Forgot to mention the dogs — no support
- 2. Told the exact truth — no support
- 3. Sewed a picture of dogs — no support
- 4. Added invented details to the story — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 12
Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 4 with score 12, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 29, line 11: «To "embroider" a story means to add invented details to it.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same action «add» (+4); the same circumstance (+4). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · ★ · right ✓
Report on a minister: "His answers were less than candid." What does the report say?
- 1. He was dishonest in his answers — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. His answers were too short — no support
- 3. He was very honest — no support
- 4. He spoke too sweetly — 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 ✗
"Uncle Rob was proper well-oiled at the wedding, fell in the cake." What was wrong with Uncle Rob?
- 1. He was tired from work — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. He was drunk — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. He had slipped on oil — no support
- 4. He was a good dancer — 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 · ★ · right ✓
A newspaper writes that the MP was "tired and emotional" in Parliament. What are they really saying?
- 1. He was drunk — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. He gave a moving speech — no support
- 3. He needed sleep — no support
- 4. He was crying about bad news — 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 11 · ★ · wrong ✗
"Grandpa's a bit tipsy after one sherry, lol." Which is true?
- 1. Grandpa is very drunk — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Grandpa has not drunk at all — no support
- 3. Grandpa is about to tip the waiter — no support
- 4. Grandpa is slightly drunk — ✓ the right answer · 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 12 · ★ · wrong ✗
Coach: "Stop fudging the figures — you didn't run 10 laps, you ran 6." What did the runner do?
- 1. Ran extra laps — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Ate fudge while running — no support
- 3. Counted perfectly — no support
- 4. Gave false numbers — ✓ 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 13 · ★ · right ✓
"That sailor came back three sheets to the wind." How was the sailor?
- 1. Very drunk — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Soaked by the rain — no support
- 3. Carrying sails — no support
- 4. Sleepy and cold — 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 the expression "shading the truth"?
- 1. It denotes truthful speech in darkness — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. It denotes lying to a slight degree — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. It denotes a drawing executed with shadows — no support
- 4. It denotes the concealment of the sun — 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 ✓
Identify the principal meaning of "a misstatement" as acknowledged by an official spokesman.
- 1. A lie or false claim — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. An address written incorrectly — no support
- 3. A typographical error — no support
- 4. A statement delivered at excessive speed — 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 ✓
It is given that a guest at a festive gathering is described as "merry". Select the response that is consistent with the established British usage.
- 1. The guest is slightly drunk — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. The guest is greatly distressed — no support
- 3. The guest is about to be married — no support
- 4. The guest is singing hymns — 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 meaning of the expression "to spin a yarn".
- 1. To tie a lengthy knot — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. To play with string — no support
- 3. To manufacture woollen thread — no support
- 4. To relate an invented story — ✓ 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/euphemisms/29-lying-and-drinking/