China: Mei's exaggerations and everyday China

Tests: 6 of 12 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★★★ · Understood: 13 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 60 of the history 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 ✗

Mei says China invented everything first. What would the teacher kindly say?

1. Correct: every invention in history, from paper to the steam engine, is Chinese — no support
2. China invented nothing; paper, silk and the compass all came from Europe — ← Mova's choice · score 8
3. Only gunpowder is Chinese; paper and the compass came from India — score 4
4. Many great things, yes, but zero, the alphabet and the steam engine came from elsewhere — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 8, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 60, line 1: «Mei says China invented everything: paper, football, ice cream. Danylo says Ukraine is the oldest and greatest. The history teacher smiles, because every count…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «invent» (+3); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+3); the same doer «china» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★★★ · right ✓

The teacher says «England invented football», Mei says «China». FIFA?

1. Only England: there was no kicking-ball game in China before the 1800s — no support
2. Both: cuju is the ancient ancestor, England wrote the modern rules — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
3. Neither: Brazil invented it and wrote the first rules — score 4
4. Only China: England just copied the cuju rules word for word — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 60, line 6: «FIFA recognises cuju, a kicking-ball game from ancient China, as the earliest known form of football; the rules of modern football were written in England in 1…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «write» (+2); the same thing acted on «rules» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★★★ · right ✓

shut up mei, italy made ice cream. who's right?

1. Neither alone; ice cream has several early homes — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
2. Only China, proven, Marco Polo said so — no support
3. Only Italy, proven, it's in all the books — no support
4. Nobody, ice cream was invented in America in 2000 — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 60, line 7: «People in Tang China kept ice and made frozen milk desserts; Persians and Arabs also made frozen sweets, so ice cream has several early homes and no clear firs…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ice cream» (+2); the same thing acted on «several early homes» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Mei says the whole world celebrates Chinese New Year. What is accurate?

1. It is celebrated only in China and only in Beijing — ← Mova's choice · score 6
2. Every person on Earth celebrates it as a holiday — no support
3. Many communities around the world celebrate it — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Nobody outside China has ever even heard of it — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 60, line 8: «The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is celebrated in China, Vietnam and Korea and by Chinese communities around the world, with dragon and lion dances, fir…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same place «china» (+5); the same action «celebrate» (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★★★ · right ✓

Mei: «I'm a dragon, so I'm born to lead!» What is wise?

1. The zodiac is a law of physics, so it must be true — no support
2. Agree: science has proved that dragon people make the best leaders — no support
3. Disagree: only people born in rat years can lead — no support
4. Enjoy the tradition; the zodiac does not decide character — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 1

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 60, line 9: «The Chinese zodiac counts years in a 12-year cycle of animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig; the idea that…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «decide» (+3); the same thing acted on «character» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★★★ · right ✓

The teacher said Chinese is impossible to learn. What did Mei show?

1. Chinese has only 26 letters, just like English — no support
2. Hard is not impossible: she taught the class «nǐ hǎo» — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
3. He was right: no foreigner has ever learned to speak Chinese — score 4
4. Chinese has no tones, so it is in fact very easy — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 60, line 4: «That closes the course. Mei and Danylo learnt to check their sources; the teacher said he learnt a lot from both of them. Pride and truth can live together, an…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «learn» (+2); the same doer «mei» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

The teacher says English is the most spoken; Mei says Mandarin. Who wins?

1. Only the teacher, because English has the most native speakers by far — ← Mova's choice · score 10
2. Both, by different measures: total speakers and native speakers — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Only Mei, because Mandarin is first by every measure — score 10
4. Neither of them: Latin still has the most speakers — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 10, tied with another option at 10 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 56, line 3: «Mei once read that China discovered America in 1421. The teacher says no, and he is right: there is no evidence. The true story already has a giraffe from Afri…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «teacher» (+4). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

a film shows Shaolin monks flying over the roof. real?

1. Yes, they train for 20 years — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. No, flying is film magic; the training is real — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. No, Shaolin monks do not exist — no support
4. Yes, but only at night — 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 ✓

If a zoo abroad had a panda cub, what would usually happen?

1. It would be sold to another zoo for a lot of money — no support
2. It would be released into the wild in that country — no support
3. It would be sent to China after some time — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. It would stay forever as a gift to that country — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 5, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 60, line 13: «Wild giant pandas live only in the mountains of China; since the 1980s zoos abroad usually rent pandas from China instead of receiving them as gifts, and cubs…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same receiver «china» (+4); the same action «send» (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

A video game shows a Chinese dragon burning a village. What is unusual about that?

1. There are no Chinese dragons — no support
2. Chinese dragons cannot move — no support
3. Chinese dragons usually bring rain and luck, not ruin — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. Nothing; Chinese dragons are always villains — ← Mova's choice · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 7, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 60, line 14: «In Chinese tradition the dragon, «long», brings rain and good fortune and is a symbol of power, while European dragons are often villains; Chinese legends have…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «european dragons» (+3); the same thing acted on «villains» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★★ · right ✓

Mei says Chinese medicine cures everything; the teacher says «not science». What did Tu Youyou show?

1. No old remedy can ever work, so throw them out — no support
2. Every old remedy works, so no tests are needed — no support
3. Tests are not needed if a remedy is very old — no support
4. Test old remedies; keep the ones that work — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 60, line 3: «Think of a school sports day: each class cheers for its own team, but the stopwatch is the same for everyone. Sources are history's stopwatch. Tu Youyou used o…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «test» (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «old chinese remedy» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Danylo and Mei both say their country is the oldest and greatest. What did the course teach?

1. Only one of them can be right, so they must fight it out — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. History is just opinion, so any claim is as good as another — no support
3. Nobody should ever be proud of their country's history — no support
4. Pride and truth can live together when sources are checked — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 59, line 2: «Mei is proud and sometimes says too much: «richest country next year», «ended poverty», «found life on Mars». The teacher checks: the World Bank numbers on pov…», 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 «income country» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · right ✓

Identify the game recognised by FIFA as the earliest known form of football.

1. Cuju, a kicking-ball game of ancient China — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Go, the game of stones — no support
3. Kung fu, the Shaolin art — no support
4. Xiangqi, the Chinese chess — 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 ✗

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the discovery for which Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2015.

1. Penicillin, a remedy for infections of the blood derived from bread mould — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Green tea, a remedy held to cure every illness of the body — no support
3. A vaccine against smallpox derived from the cowpox of cattle — no support
4. Artemisinin, a remedy for malaria derived from sweet wormwood — ✓ 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 distinction between Mandarin and English with regard to the number of speakers?

1. Neither language is spoken by more than a million persons — score 3
2. Both languages possess exactly equal numbers of speakers — score 8
3. English has the most native speakers; Mandarin the most speakers in total — ← Mova's choice · score 15
4. Mandarin has the most native speakers; English the most speakers in total — ✓ the right answer · score 15

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 with score 15, tied with another option at 15 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 60, line 11: «Mandarin has the most native speakers in the world; English has the most speakers in total when second-language learners are counted.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «english» (+4); the same thing acted on «most speakers» (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 4, scored 15. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓

Ascertain the arrangement under which giant pandas are ordinarily held in zoos outside China since the 1980s.

1. Permanent gifts from China to foreign kings and heads of state — no support
2. Loans from China, with cubs usually returned to China — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
3. Capture in the wild by foreign zoo expeditions — no support
4. Purchase at auction by the highest bidding zoo — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 60, line 13: «Wild giant pandas live only in the mountains of China; since the 1980s zoos abroad usually rent pandas from China instead of receiving them as gifts, and cubs…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same receiver «china» (+2); the same property (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/history/60-china-mei-s-exaggerations-and-everyday-china/