The football argument that goes in circles

Tests: 5 of 11 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★★★ · Understood: 7 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 170 of the world 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 ✗

Girl nearby: "Lads, 'best' and 'greatest' are the same word. You've been arguing with a thesaurus for fifteen minutes." What is she mocking?

1. Ronaldo for being tall — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. People who read books — no support
3. The circle, not the boys' taste in players — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Messi for being small — 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 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

His mate: "So the only games that count are the ones you win? Love that for you, bro." What would happen if every team counted like Jamal?

1. Nobody would ever win a match — score 1
2. Every team in the world would "always win" — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Only Jamal's team would always win — ← Mova's choice · score 6
4. The league table would be fair, because everyone would count the same way — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 6, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 170, line 8: «If you only count wins, every team in the world "always wins"; a fair count includes wins and losses.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «win» (+4); the same doer «team» (+1); the same property (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★★★ · right ✓

Leo: "Round and round we go. You're a washing machine, Lucas." What does he mean?

1. Lucas's reason and claim keep pointing at each other — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Lucas's team plays round in circles and never goes forward towards goal — no support
3. Lucas is good at spinning on the pitch — no support
4. Lucas's kit needs washing — 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 4 · ★★★ · right ✓

Goalkeeper: "I was standing right there and even I don't know. You two were by the swings." What does this show?

1. Neither girl saw clearly, so shouting can't settle it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The goal was definitely out, so the goalkeeper should say so and end it — no support
3. The goal was definitely in — no support
4. The goalkeeper is hiding the truth — 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 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Uncle: "It's been your year for twenty years, lad. Your year's very patient." Is he insulting Ben?

1. Yes, he hates Arsenal fans — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. No, he agrees with Ben that this really is Arsenal's year at last — no support
3. Yes, he's calling Ben stupid — no support
4. No, he's teasing the reasoning, hope as a reason — ✓ 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 · ★★★ · right ✓

Kai: "Champions League final 2009, header, look it up. You got cooked by a YouTube clip." What does "got cooked" mean?

1. Got really hungry during the match — no support
2. Was badly burned by the sun outside — no support
3. Was badly beaten in the argument — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. Won the whole argument really easily — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 170, line 18: «Words people use: "lads" means boys or guys (UK), "a thesaurus" is a book of words that mean the same, "got cooked" means was beaten badly in an argument (youn…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «beat» (+4); the same place «argument» (+3); the same property (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Tagger: "The base is not real, the base is in your head." What would be fair?

1. Let the tagger make up a new rule too, so it's even between them — ← Mova's choice · score 7
2. Let the boy keep his base this time — no support
3. Agree on a base before the next game, for everyone — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Ban bases from all games forever — 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 170, line 2: «Other tricks keep a playground argument spinning: throwing out the games you lost ("those don't count, the ref was bad"), making up a rule after you lose ("the…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «make up» (+4); the same thing acted on «rule» (+3). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★★ · right ✓

Teacher: "Your dads are both accountants. The only fighting they do is with the printer." Which is the lesson?

1. Accountants are secretly black belts — no support
2. The taller dad would win a fight — no support
3. Claims you can't check aren't arguments, and fights aren't worth bragging about — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
4. Printers are dangerous to fight — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 170, line 14: «Claims nobody can check, like "my dad's got a hundred black belts", are not real arguments.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «claims» (+3); the same thing acted on «real arguments» (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★★★ · right ✓

Molly: "So by your rules the best goalie in the world isn't a footballer. Big brain move, Freddie." What does "big brain move" mean here?

1. A sarcastic way of saying the idea is silly — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. A football tactic for goalkeepers — no support
3. A real compliment for a clever idea that nobody had thought of before — no support
4. A move where you head the ball — 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 ✗

Lunch lady: "You've spent all break on a sausage. Go outside, the both of you." What would actually settle the hot dog question?

1. Agreeing first what "sandwich" means — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Asking the lunch lady to have a vote on it — no support
3. Eating the hot dog quickly before it's cold — no support
4. Arguing for another 20 minutes after school — ← Mova's choice · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 170, line 5: «Kids mock the loop, not the fan: "Lads, 'best' and 'greatest' are the same word. You've been arguing with a thesaurus for fifteen minutes."», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «argue» (+4); the same property (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

A clever one: Sam says, "My team is the best, and if they lose, it's because they weren't really trying, so they're still the best." Can any result ever prove Sam wrong?

1. Yes, if they go on and lose three games — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. No, so his claim tells us nothing — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Yes, if the referee agrees with Sam's view — no support
4. No, because his team really is the best — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 170, line 2: «Other tricks keep a playground argument spinning: throwing out the games you lost ("those don't count, the ref was bad"), making up a rule after you lose ("the…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «lose» (+1). The right option, 2, 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 principal defect in the argument that a player is superior "because he is the best".

1. The conclusion is restated in place of a reason — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The argument relies too heavily upon statistics such as goals and trophies — no support
3. The player's nationality is omitted — no support
4. The argument was made during a break — 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 Lionel Messi and headed goals.

1. Headed goals are prohibited for players of his height — no support
2. He has never scored a headed goal in any competition — score 3
3. He has scored exclusively with his left foot — ← Mova's choice · score 7
4. He has scored headed goals, including one in the 2009 Champions League final — ✓ the right answer · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 7, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 170, line 4: «The way out is to say what you count: goals, trophies, results, the league table. Check facts before using them: Messi has scored headers, including one in the…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «score» (+4); the same doer «messi» (+3). The right option, 4, scored 6. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

Determine the most appropriate method of resolving a dispute as to whether a ball crossed the line when no party observed it clearly.

1. Determination in favour of the elder party — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Indefinite continuation of the dispute until one party abandons the field — no support
3. Agreement upon a fair procedure, such as a replay or a coin toss — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Determination in favour of the louder party — 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 ✗

Which of the following most accurately characterises a protracted dispute as to whether a hot dog is a sandwich?

1. A matter of established law — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. A case of collective punishment — no support
3. A question to be settled by scientific measurement of the bread — no support
4. A verbal dispute arising from an undefined term — ✓ 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

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