How to argue: reasons and evidence

Tests: 8 of 12 right · Exam: 3 of 4 right · Kind: ★★ · Understood: 8 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 39 of the religion ethics 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 ✓

My sister says an argument means a fight. In ethics, what is it really?

1. Shouting until the other person gives up — no support
2. Refusing to listen to anything — no support
3. Calling the other person names — no support
4. Giving reasons and evidence for a claim — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 39, line 8: «Strong arguments have a claim, a reason and evidence.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same circumstance (+3); the same thing acted on «claim» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★★ · right ✓

"school dinners r gross cos they're gross" — what's wrong with this?

1. The reason just repeats the claim, so it gives no real reason — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Nothing, it is a strong argument because the person is being very honest — no support
3. It uses slang, and slang always makes an argument wrong — no support
4. It is too short, so it only needs more words to be strong — 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 3 · ★★ · right ✓

Leah, who is Jewish, says: "We should give to the food bank because hungry families are harmed when there is no food." What kind of reason is this?

1. A weak "I want to" reason — no support
2. Not a reason, just a claim — no support
3. A strong reason: harm — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
4. A weak "everyone does it" reason — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 39, line 8: «Strong arguments have a claim, a reason and evidence.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «claim» (+4); the same property (+4). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Ollie says kids should be allowed phones in class. Which is the best evidence to ask for?

1. Whether Ollie's phone is newer and better than everyone else's — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. What happened in schools that tried it — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. How many people in the class like Ollie and agree with him — no support
4. Whether phones were invented before or after Ollie was born — 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 · ★★ · right ✓

You said it's fine to keep money you find. A judge asks: "What if you saw who dropped it?" Why is this a good question?

1. It is a bad question, because judges should not add new details — score 5
2. It changes one detail to test what really matters in your answer — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 12
3. It is a trick to make you look foolish, so you should ignore it — score 0
4. It changes the whole case, so your first answer no longer counts — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 12, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 39, line 4: «They also test an answer by changing the details (what if it were a stranger, not a friend?) and, when they say "it depends", they say on what.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «change» (+6); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «details» (+2); a different doer (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★★ · wrong ✗

oi u can't tell me off for being late, u were late last week. what idea is this kid using?

1. A principle, because "do not harm the innocent" is about time — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. Evidence, because the facts prove that being late is never wrong — score 1
3. Clarifying, because they are asking what the word late means — no support
4. Consistency, though being late before does not make lateness right — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 4, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 39, line 3: «Good thinkers ask clarifying questions ("What do you mean by fair?"), use principles such as "do not harm the innocent", and stay consistent: if something is w…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «harm» (+2); the same thing acted on «innocent» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Max says, "Stealing is wrong, but it's ok for me to take my brother's sweets." What is the problem?

1. He has given too many reasons for his view — ← Mova's choice · score 11
2. Nothing, because family sweets are special — no support
3. He has asked too many clarifying questions — no support
4. He treats similar cases differently — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 11, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 39, line 6: «Giving a reason means saying why you think something, not only what you think.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «give» (+6); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «reason» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★ · right ✓

Two friends argue for ages about whether a game is "fair". What would help most?

1. Seeing who can say "fair" the loudest — no support
2. Letting the older one decide, no questions — no support
3. Stopping the game and going home in a mood — no support
4. Asking what each of them means by "fair" — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 0

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 5: «For a child today it is a meeting place: a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu friend and a friend with no religion can all agree on it, and each can live it at schoo…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★★ · right ✓

Which is the strongest argument?

1. Littering is wrong because it harms animals; birds get caught in plastic rings — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Littering is wrong, obviously, and anyone who disagrees is silly — no support
3. Littering is wrong because everybody in my street says so, and they can't all be wrong — no support
4. Littering is wrong because my mum says it is wrong and that is that — 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 ✗

"Should I tell a teacher a secret?" A friend says "It depends." What is the best follow-up?

1. It depends means you can do whatever you like — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. On what? Whether someone could get hurt is a key thing — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It depends means the answer is always yes, so tell — no support
4. Fine, then we never need to think about it again — 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 · ★★ · right ✓

"everyone at school says that new kid is weird, so it must be true." What is weak about this?

1. Many people saying it is not evidence; you should find out yourself — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Nothing, if everyone in the class says it then it must be true about him — no support
3. It is weak only because the word weird is too long to say — no support
4. It is weak because only teachers are allowed to judge kids — 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 · ★★ · right ✓

Which is true about evidence?

1. It should be true and fair, not just what helps you — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
2. The more often you repeat it, the stronger the evidence gets — no support
3. Any story you heard once, from anyone, is strong evidence — no support
4. Evidence is only needed in science lessons, not in ethics — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 39, line 9: «Evidence is facts, examples or experiences that support a reason; it should be true and fair.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same property (+4); the same doer «evidence» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · 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 constituents of a sound argument?

1. A claim, supported solely by an appeal to its general popularity — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. A claim, a reason in support thereof, and evidence substantiating the reason — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. A claim, accompanied by a criticism of the character of the opponent — no support
4. A claim, repeated with increasing emphasis until assent is obtained — 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 reason which would be accorded the greatest weight in ethical deliberation.

1. That the action would occasion harm to an innocent party — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. That the action is desired by the person concerned — no support
3. That the action is presently undertaken by many others — no support
4. That the action has been sanctioned by an older acquaintance — 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 ✓

Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of "consistency" in reasoning.

1. The refusal ever to revise one's conclusions — no support
2. The treatment of similar cases in a similar manner — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
3. The agreement of one's view with that of the majority — no support
4. The repetition of one's claim on every occasion — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 39, line 16: «Consistency means treating similar cases in similar ways.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «treat» (+3); the same thing acted on «similar cases» (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓

Whereas a respondent asserts that the matter "depends", ascertain the manner in which such an assertion is properly made.

1. By stating the principal factors upon which the matter depends — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. By asserting that every possible answer is equally correct and equally good — no support
3. By deferring the question indefinitely to a later occasion — no support
4. By declining to furnish any further explanation whatsoever — 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/religion-ethics/39-how-to-argue-reasons-and-evidence/