"If... then..." and its traps

Tests: 6 of 11 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★★ · Understood: 9 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 184 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 ✗

Ruby's dad: "I've just been watering it, Ruby. The rain didn't send a postcard." What is he teaching her?

1. Wet grass always proves that it rained, whatever Dad says — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Wet grass doesn't prove rain; other things wet grass — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Postcards tell you the weather — no support
4. Sprinklers can't make grass wet — 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 ✓

Kai: "Your cat's not an animal? What is it then, a sofa with a tail?" Which reasoning is Kai laughing at?

1. "Sofas are furniture, not animals" — score 5
2. "All dogs are animals" — score 5
3. "Cats are animals" — score 5
4. "Not a dog, so not an animal" — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 11, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 184, line 8: «"If it's a dog, it's an animal" says nothing about things that aren't dogs: cats, horses and people are animals too.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+4); it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same thing acted on «dogs» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Leo: "Bruv, it's got three sides. It's a triangle." His friend: "You can't know it's not a square!" Who is right?

1. Leo; without 4 sides it can't be a square — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The friend; it might be a square in disguise — no support
3. Nobody; shapes can change — ← Mova's choice · score 3
4. The friend; you must measure the corners first — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 86, line 2: «The triangle is the strongest simple shape for a frame. Push on the corner of a square frame made of sticks and it folds into a slanted shape, but a triangle c…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «change» (+4); the same doer «triangle» (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (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 4 · ★★ · right ✓

Sam: "I'm in the swimming club, Ellie. I swim Tuesdays because I want to. I'm in Year 3." What mistake did Ellie make?

1. She ran the "if" backwards — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. She used the square rule — no support
3. She counted the wrong day — no support
4. She judged Sam's swimming costume — 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 ✗

Josh, mardy: "You lied! You said sunny!" They went to the park in the rain. Who is right?

1. Josh; "if sunny" means they never go on rainy days — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Josh; Mum broke her word — no support
3. Mum; she only promised what happens on sunny days — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Nobody; parks close in the rain — 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 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Teacher: "A logic professor would give you a point, Lucas. I'm giving you a worksheet." Why both?

1. Logic professors don't believe in games — no support
2. The teacher doesn't understand logic — no support
3. Strictly he has a point, but everyone knew the deal meant "only if" — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. He is wrong in logic, so he gets a worksheet — ← Mova's choice · score 6

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 174, line 14: «Teachers study for years; like anyone they can be wrong sometimes, but "they don't know anything" is clearly false.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Mum: "Your logic's perfect, Leo. Your dog's isn't. He barks at leaves." What made Leo's answer wrong?

1. A bad step in the reasoning — ← Mova's choice · score 7
2. Opening the door too slowly — no support
3. Leaves being hard to see — no support
4. A false starting rule — ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 7, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 184, line 4: «Even perfect steps give a wrong answer if the starting rule is false: "if the dog barks, someone's at the door" fails the day he barks at a squirrel.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same property (+2); the same doer «perfect steps» (+1); the same thing acted on «wrong answer» (+1). The right option, 4, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★ · right ✓

Amira's brother: "You played Roblox all week and passed. The test passed you, not the other way round." What is he pointing out?

1. Passing doesn't prove studying; the test was easy — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
2. No test can ever be easy — score 7
3. Playing games all week is what makes you pass tests — score 0
4. Amira must have studied in secret — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 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 184, line 15: «Studying makes passing more likely, but passing doesn't prove you studied: an easy test is another reason.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same property (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+3); the same doer «easy test» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★★ · right ✓

A Scottish lifeguard: "He's 13 and wearing the wee armbands. So what? Being extra safe's not breaking a rule, aye?" Why is the lifeguard right?

1. The rule only says what under-12s must do — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 1
2. Armbands are banned for everyone over 12 — no support
3. The rule says over-12s must wear them — score 1
4. Only lifeguards may decide about armbands — no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 1, tied with another option at 1 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 161, line 10: «A rule that explains every result, good or bad, can never be wrong, so it tells you nothing; inventing a new excuse each time it fails is called moving the goa…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «tell» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★★ · right ✓

What would happen if Leo's dog only ever barked when someone was at the door?

1. Then "he's barking, so someone's there" would work — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
2. Leo's reasoning would still be wrong, whatever the dog did — no support
3. Squirrels would stop coming to the garden near the door — no support
4. The dog would stop barking at anything ever again — score 7

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 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 184, line 14: «A correct step from a false rule can give a wrong answer: a dog that barks at squirrels doesn't prove someone is at the door.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «dog» (+4); the same action «bark» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★ · right ✓

In a cartoon a detective sees wet footprints in the hall and shouts, "It rained indoors!" Put the cartoon right.

1. Wet footprints could come from a bath, a puddle or a spill — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. It often rains inside houses — no support
3. Footprints can never tell you anything — no support
4. Wet footprints only come from indoor rain — 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 1 · formal language · right ✓

It is given that the proposition "if it rains, the grass is wet" holds and that the grass is observed to be wet. Select the response that is consistent with the established facts.

1. It may be concluded that it has not rained — no support
2. The proposition is thereby shown to be false — no support
3. It cannot be concluded that it has rained, since other causes may wet the grass — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
4. It may be concluded with certainty that it has rained — 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 184, line 6: «"If it rains, the grass is wet" does not mean "if the grass is wet, it rained"; sprinklers, dew and dogs wet grass too.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «wet» (+4); the same thing acted on «grass» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the conclusion which validly follows from the premise that every square possesses four sides, given a figure possessing three sides.

1. The figure may be a square — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. The figure is not a square — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. The figure is a square — no support
4. The figure possesses four sides — 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 ✗

A regulation provides that persons under twelve years of age shall wear armbands in the pool. Ascertain the position of a swimmer aged thirteen who elects to wear armbands.

1. The swimmer is in breach of the regulation — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. The swimmer is in no breach of the regulation — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. The swimmer is thereby deemed to be under twelve — no support
4. The regulation prohibits armbands for such a swimmer — 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 statements most accurately characterises an argument whose every step is correct but whose initial rule is false?

1. It cannot contain any correct step whatsoever — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. Its conclusion may nonetheless be false — ✓ the right answer · score 4
3. Its conclusion is necessarily and always true — score 4
4. Its conclusion is necessarily false in every case — score 4

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 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 184, line 4: «Even perfect steps give a wrong answer if the starting rule is false: "if the dog barks, someone's at the door" fails the day he barks at a squirrel.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same doer «starting rule» (+1). The right option, 2, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/world/184-if-then-and-its-traps/