Is it fair? Why bad things happen to good people
Tests: 3 of 11 right · Exam: 0 of 4 right · Kind: ★★★ · Understood: 8 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 75 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 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
«God took Auntie coz He needed another angel,» says a lady at the funeral. Ruby frowns. Which reply fits what this lesson teaches?
- 1. God was punishing the family for something — score 7
- 2. People say that to comfort, but Christian teaching doesn't say people become angels — ✓ the right answer · score 2
- 3. It means Ruby should stop being sad — no support
- 4. It's exactly right; God takes kind people early — ← Mova's choice · score 10
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 10, against 7 for the next best. Its support: lesson 75, line 14: «Some people believe God has a plan and brings good out of bad; others believe some things just happen; people disagree.», 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 action «bring» (+3); the same doer «god» (+3). The right option, 2, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 2 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
«If God's real and good, why's there wars? Checkmate, bro,» says a Gen Z cousin in Florida. What's a fair answer?
- 1. Wars don't really happen any more — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. There's no answer to it, so the question is stupid and pointless — no support
- 3. It's a hard question; many Christians point to free will — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Wars are God's punishment for bad countries — 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 ✓
The vicar answers, very formally: «I shall not pretend to understand why; I believe, nonetheless, that God is present in our suffering.» What is he saying?
- 1. God caused all the suffering on purpose, to test people — score 3
- 2. God is far away and absent whenever people are suffering — score -1
- 3. He knows exactly why it happened and will explain it later — score -2
- 4. He doesn't know why, but believes God is with us — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 62, line 13: «Psalm 23 says, «Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me»; «the valley of the shadow of death» is a po…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+3); the same doer «god» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
Grumpy Grandad lived to 95 and kind Mrs Lee died at 50. A boy in Newcastle says, «Being nice is pointless then, howay» (howay = come on). Which is the best reasoning?
- 1. Goodness isn't paid in years; it's worth it for its own sake — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Mrs Lee must have secretly been bad — no support
- 3. Kind people always live longer really — ← Mova's choice · score 7
- 4. He's right; only grumpy people live long, so being kind is a waste of time — score 7
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 75, line 1: «Ruby's aunt was kind and helped everyone, and she died of cancer at 40, while Kai's grumpy grandad lived to 95; Ruby says «It's not fair», and she is right: ho…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «live» (+4); the same property (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 5 · ★★★ · right ✓
What would happen if everyone believed illness was a punishment for being bad?
- 1. Hospitals would get much better — no support
- 2. Nothing; it would be harmless — no support
- 3. People would stop getting ill, because they would all try harder to be good — no support
- 4. Sick people would be blamed unfairly — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2
Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 4 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 33, line 4: «Christians believe in God, yet freedom of religion means everyone may believe, practise, change or have no religion without being forced or mocked; respect doe…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «everyone» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · ★★★ · right ✓
Job's friends say his troubles must be his fault. In the story, who is right?
- 1. Job himself, who admits that it was all his fault — no support
- 2. The friends, because suffering always means sin — no support
- 3. Not the friends; God says they were wrong — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11
- 4. Job's wife, who tells him to give up on God — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 11, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 75, line 3: «The Bible does not hide the question: in the book of Job a good man loses everything, his friends say it must be his fault, God says the friends are wrong, and…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «friends» (+4); the same property (+4); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
«Me baby cousin only lived three days, it's not right,» says Leo from the Black Country, «I'm proper gutted» (gutted = heartbroken). Which reply is both honest and kind?
- 1. Babies don't count, so don't be sad — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. It was her parents' fault for not praying — no support
- 3. It was fair; God needed her more — no support
- 4. It isn't fair, and it's nobody's fault; she was loved — ✓ 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 8 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
«Do u ever doubt God, vicar? Like for real tho?» asks Lily. If he says «sometimes», what does that show?
- 1. Doubt can be part of honest faith — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. He is a bad vicar and should quit — no support
- 3. Vicars are not allowed to have doubts — no support
- 4. He doesn't believe in God at all — ← Mova's choice · 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 22, line 17: «Faith means trusting God, not only believing facts about him.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «believe» (+2); the same circumstance (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
A cartoon says, «Good guys always win and bad guys always get what they deserve.» What does real life show?
- 1. Real life works exactly like the cartoons, if you wait long enough — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Bad people always die young — no support
- 3. Good people never get ill — no support
- 4. Life isn't always fair; good people can suffer — ✓ 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 ✗
«Everything happens for a reason, sweetie,» says Holly's gran; her dad mutters, «Not so sure, Mum.» Who is right?
- 1. Dad, because science has proved there is no reason for anything — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. They disagree on a question people still argue about — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Gran, because older people are always right — no support
- 4. Neither; the question has an easy 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 11 · ★★★ · wrong ✗
«I'm well angry it's not fair, is that bad?» asks Freddie. Which answer turns anger to good?
- 1. It's natural; it can push you to help others — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Yes, being angry about a death is always very bad — no support
- 3. Hide it, because nobody should ever see you angry — no support
- 4. No, so shout at people until the anger passes — ← 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 75, line 5: «Christians remember that Jesus himself cried on the cross, «My God, why have you forsaken me?», so doubt and anger can sit inside faith, and people of every be…», 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 doer «doubt» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · 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 relationship between moral conduct and length of life?
- 1. Length of life is determined solely by attendance at worship — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The duration of a life is neither a reward for virtue nor a penalty for vice — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Persons of good character invariably enjoy longer lives — no support
- 4. Persons of ill temper are invariably granted longer lives — 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 ✗
Identify the term employed by philosophers to denote the question of why a good God permits suffering.
- 1. The golden rule — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The communion of saints — no support
- 3. The categorical imperative — no support
- 4. The problem of evil — ✓ 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 ✗
Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the book of Job.
- 1. A wicked man is punished in proportion to his offences — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Job renounces his faith and is thereafter rewarded — no support
- 3. A righteous man suffers grievously, his friends' accusations are rejected, and no simple explanation is given — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Job's friends are vindicated in their assertion of his guilt — 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 ✗
It is given that a believer entertains doubts following a bereavement. Ascertain which statement is consistent with the matters taught.
- 1. Doubt demonstrates that the person never held any genuine faith whatsoever — ← Mova's choice · score 0
- 2. Doubt is common among persons of faith and may coexist with belief — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Doubt may be entertained only by members of the clergy — no support
- 4. Doubt is prohibited by every Christian denomination — 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 32, line 5: «For a Christian child this means your Hindu and Sikh neighbours have deep reasons for what they do, and Christians, too, are called to serve and share; you can…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «keep» (+2); the same thing acted on «own faith» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
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