Where did you read that? Checking sources
Tests: 8 of 10 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★★★ · Understood: 10 of 14 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 28 of the myths 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 ✗
Finn says, "It's on a website so it's true." What's the best question to ask?
- 1. How many colours are on the website? — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Who wrote it, and how do they know? — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Has the website got lots of adverts? — no support
- 4. Is the website easy to read? — 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 · ★★★ · right ✓
"u said there's 8 planets but grandad's book says 9, ur wrong" What explains it?
- 1. The printers made a mistake and added a planet by accident — no support
- 2. One of the planets was blown up by a comet quite recently — no support
- 3. The book is older than the 2006 decision about Pluto — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
- 4. Grandad's book is about a different solar system altogether — score 7
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 28, line 3: «A printed book can be out of date, a headline can squash a small study into a big claim, an advert wants to sell you something, and "my brother's mate's dad" i…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «printed book» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 3 · ★★★ · right ✓
An advert says a cream makes skin "ten years younger, clinically proven". What would a fair test need?
- 1. Many people, a comparison group, and honest measuring — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
- 2. Just one happy customer — no support
- 3. A shiny bottle and a price — no support
- 4. A famous actor using it — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 28, line 8: «"Clinically proven" (tested on people) in an advert can mean a tiny test without fair comparison; ask who tested it, on how many people, and compared with what.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same property (+2); the same circumstance (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★★★ · right ✓
Yasmin is scared because her cat nibbled a poinsettia. What's true?
- 1. The cat will die tonight — no support
- 2. Pets are never affected by any plants — no support
- 3. It may cause a mild upset; call the vet if worried, but it isn't deadly — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 4. Poinsettias are completely harmless to every animal — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 28, line 9: «Poinsettias are not deadly; eating them may cause a mild tummy upset, and very large studies of poisoning calls found no deaths from them.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «cause» (+5); the same thing acted on «mild tummy upset» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 5 · ★★★ · right ✓
Kai says "Wikipedia says it, so it's a fact." What's the clever reply?
- 1. Let's check the sources it links to at the bottom — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
- 2. Only the first line of Wikipedia is true — no support
- 3. Wikipedia can't be edited by anyone, so it's always perfect — score 3
- 4. Wikipedia is always lies — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 28, line 10: «Wikipedia is a useful starting point that lists its sources, but anyone can edit it, so check the sources it links to.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «check» (+5); the same thing acted on «sources» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
"the newspaper says chocolate makes u clever!!!" The article says it was tested on 20 mice. What do you conclude?
- 1. Mice are clever only because they eat a lot of chocolate — no support
- 2. Newspapers never make mistakes — no support
- 3. The headline says much more than the study shows — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Chocolate makes every person clever — ← Mova's choice · score 10
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 10, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 28, line 13: «Headlines like "Chocolate makes you clever!" often come from a small study, sometimes on animals, and the article usually says much less than the headline.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «chocolate» (+5); the same action «make» (+3); the same property (+1); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★★★ · right ✓
Rhys says the zoo sign about white polar bear fur is fine. His mate says it's wrong because the hairs are colourless. Who is fairer?
- 1. Both: the fur looks white, though each hair is colourless — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
- 2. Only Rhys: the hairs are pure white, right down to the skin — no support
- 3. Neither: polar bear fur is black — no support
- 4. Only the mate: the sign is a lie — 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 28, line 14: «A polar bear's fur looks white, but each hair is actually colourless and the skin underneath is black.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «look» (+5); the same property (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · ★★★ · right ✓
Beth says her brother's mate's dad at NASA says the Moon landing was faked. Which evidence matters more?
- 1. How many people online believe it — no support
- 2. Mirrors left on the Moon that scientists still use today — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
- 3. What the dad told the brother's mate — score 6
- 4. That the photos look a bit strange — no support
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 8, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 28, line 15: «The Apollo Moon landings really happened between 1969 and 1972; evidence includes Moon rocks, mirrors left on the Moon that scientists still bounce lasers off,…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «evidence» (+3); the same thing acted on «moon rocks» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · ★★★ · right ✓
Two websites disagree about whether searing meat seals in juices. What's the best way to decide?
- 1. Pick the one with the nicest and brightest pictures — no support
- 2. Pick the one that your best friend likes the most — no support
- 3. Pick the one that comes up first when you search — no support
- 4. Look for one that tested it and explains how — ← 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 17, line 1: «"Thunder? That's just two big clouds bumping their heads, love," says Grandad, the way his own grandad told him. It's a lovely picture, and so are the others:…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «own grandad» (+5); it fills the role the question asks for (+1); a different action (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 10 · ★★★ · right ✓
Jamie says printed books can't be wrong. Which example shows they can?
- 1. A dictionary with many words — no support
- 2. Old books listing nine planets — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11
- 3. A book with a picture of Pluto — score 6
- 4. A book with a hard cover — score 6
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 11, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 28, line 7: «Pluto was called a planet until 2006, when astronomers made it a dwarf planet, so books printed before then list nine planets.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «books» (+3); the same action «list» (+2); the same thing acted on «nine planets» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗
Select the response that is consistent with the established facts concerning the classification of Pluto since 2006.
- 1. It has been classified as a moon of Neptune — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. It has been classified as a dwarf planet — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. It has been classified as a comet — no support
- 4. It has been classified as the ninth planet — 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 colour properly ascribed to the skin of the polar bear.
- 1. Black — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Transparent — no support
- 3. White — no support
- 4. Pink — 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 encyclopaedia Wikipedia as a source?
- 1. An infallible authority incapable of error — no support
- 2. A source that may on no account be edited by members of the public — no support
- 3. A useful starting point whose cited sources should be verified — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. A source invariably false in its entirety — ← Mova's choice · score 4
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 28, line 2: «Every fact comes from somewhere, and a good checker asks four questions: Who says it? How do they know? When was it written? What do other good sources say?», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «other good sources» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓
It is given that a newspaper headline asserts that chocolate renders persons more intelligent. Determine the most appropriate course of action.
- 1. Consult the article and ascertain the scale and subjects of the study — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Accept the assertion upon the authority of the newspaper — no support
- 3. Increase one's consumption of chocolate forthwith — no support
- 4. Reject all newspapers as sources henceforth — 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/myths/28-where-did-you-read-that-checking-sources/