Fighting fair: no straw men, no moving goalposts, no either-or

Tests: 6 of 12 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★★ · Understood: 11 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 189 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 · ★★ · right ✓

Mum: "Less, Tom. L-E-S-S. Not 'never'." What is the fair next step for Tom?

1. Argue about how much less — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Say she wants him to have no fun — no support
3. Stop talking to her for a week — no support
4. Spell "never" back at her — 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 ✗

Ella: "Where did I say that? You've been arguing with a ghost for five minutes." Which trick has she spotted?

1. A straw man — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. A red herring — no support
3. Moving the goalposts — ← Mova's choice · score 3
4. An either-or — no support

Why: It took the question to ask where. It chose option 3 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 189, line 3: «Moving the goalposts: every time the test is met, demand a harder one. Kai wants a photo of a ghost, then a video, then "real life"; Ruby changes the hide-and-…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «move» (+2); the same thing acted on «goalposts» (+2). 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 3 · ★★ · wrong ✗

What would happen if Kai had said at the start, "A test that others can repeat in real life would convince me"?

1. Everyone would know what counts as proof — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The argument could never end — no support
3. He would have to believe the blurry photo — no support
4. Ghosts would appear when asked — ← Mova's choice · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 91, line 3: «You measure the results, repeat the test several times and look at all the evidence, even the results you did not expect.», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «look» (+4). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★★ · wrong ✗

Ruby: "Or, wild idea, half and half? There are more than two games in the world, Leo." What did she do?

1. Attacked Leo instead of his idea about games — no support
2. Broke the either-or with a middle option — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Moved the goalposts — no support
4. Made a straw man of Leo's idea — ← Mova's choice · score 3

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 4 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 174, line 6: «Being an expert in one thing, like a game, does not make someone an expert in another, like food or science; grown-ups call trusting them anyway the appeal to…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «make» (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★★ · right ✓

Ava: "I never said that! The pizza could be hotter, that's all. Your mum's custard is legendary." What did she do well?

1. Agreed that the dinners are perfect — no support
2. Blamed the dinner lady — no support
3. Took back everything she had said — no support
4. Said exactly what she meant without attacking a person — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8

Why: It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 4 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 189, line 12: «You can criticise a thing without attacking a person: "the pizza could be hotter" is not "your mum's a bad cook".», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «attack» (+3); a different doer (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★★ · wrong ✗

A cousin in Canada: "Cats need nothing, eh? Mine needs a vet, a litter tray and a toque in winter, bud." Joke aside, what is the point?

1. Cats need woolly hats to live — score 2
2. Dogs need no care at all — ← Mova's choice · score 7
3. Cats need daily care too — ✓ the right answer · score 7
4. Cats are worse pets than dogs — score 0

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 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 189, line 13: «Every pet needs daily care: cats need food, water, a litter tray and visits to the vet.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «need» (+4); the same thing acted on «daily care» (+3). The right option, 3, scored 7. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★ · right ✓

Jade: "Or we look at the rota on the fridge, Freddie. It's literally right there." What did she offer?

1. A way to avoid feeding him at all, ever — no support
2. A way to let the hamster starve quietly — score 1
3. A straw man of Freddie's hamster idea — no support
4. A third option beyond the either-or — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 2, against 1 for the next best. Its support: lesson 178, line 6: «An either-or (grown-ups call it a false dilemma) offers only two choices when there are more; most problems have middle options.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same thing acted on «middle options» (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★ · wrong ✗

The teacher: "Robots? He said uniforms, Lily. Answer what he said." Which reply answers what he said?

1. "Either uniforms or chaos." — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. "Uniforms can cost a lot for some families." — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. "You only like uniforms because you're boring." — no support
4. "So you want us all to be robots." — 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 9 · ★★ · right ✓

A Kiwi mate: "Scared of spiders, so scared of everything? Yeah nah, I did the biggest rollercoaster at Rainbow's End twice, chur." What is broken?

1. The idea that one fear means all fears — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The idea that New Zealand has theme parks — no support
3. The idea that spiders are scary — no support
4. The idea that rollercoasters are fun — 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 · ★★ · right ✓

Ruby's friend: "So hide-and-seek with no hiding? That's just seek, Ruby. That's just looking at people." What is he laughing at?

1. Ruby's really terrible hiding skills — no support
2. Playing outside at break in the cold — no support
3. The whole game of hide-and-seek itself — no support
4. Changing the rules mid-game to win — ← 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 189, line 3: «Moving the goalposts: every time the test is met, demand a harder one. Kai wants a photo of a ghost, then a video, then "real life"; Ruby changes the hide-and-…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «change» (+4); the same doer «ruby» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★ · wrong ✗

A kid from Texas: "Y'all fixin' to say I hate dogs 'cause I like cats? I never said that." What is the fair way to answer her?

1. Change the subject to horses — no support
2. Say cats and dogs are the same — score 2
3. Say she hates dogs anyway, because she likes cats — ← Mova's choice · score 5
4. Ask "Do you mean...?" and answer what she said — ✓ the right answer · score 3

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 5, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 189, line 8: «Liking cats doesn't mean hating dogs; asking "Do you mean...?" before arguing checks what someone really thinks.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «like» (+3); the same thing acted on «cats» (+2). The right option, 4, scored 3. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★★ · right ✓

In a cartoon a referee carries the goal further away every time a player shoots. What does the cartoon show?

1. Moving the goalposts: changing the test once it's met — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. A fair way to make football harder — no support
3. A straw man about football — no support
4. An either-or about goals — 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 ✓

Identify the device employed where a person, on being presented with each successive piece of evidence that they had requested, demands evidence of a more exacting kind.

1. A false dilemma — no support
2. An appeal to tradition — no support
3. Moving the goalposts — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. A straw man — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 189, line 3: «Moving the goalposts: every time the test is met, demand a harder one. Kai wants a photo of a ghost, then a video, then "real life"; Ruby changes the hide-and-…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «move» (+3); the same thing acted on «goalposts» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗

It is given that a parent proposed a reduction in screen time on school nights and that the child replied that the parent wished him never to have fun again. Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the reply?

1. It restates the proposal accurately — ← Mova's choice · score 3
2. It misrepresents the proposal as more extreme than it was — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It identifies a third option — score 3
4. It accepts the proposal without objection — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 189, line 14: «A fair reply answers the real point; for school uniforms, one real point on the other side is that uniforms can be expensive for some families.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same doer «fair reply» (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response that is consistent with fair procedure in respect of the rules of a game.

1. The rules are altered after every round — score 5
2. The rules are agreed before play, and any change applies from the next game — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
3. The rules may be altered by whichever player is losing — score 5
4. The rules are determined by the loudest player — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 7, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 189, line 16: «Agree the rules of a game before it starts; if you want a change, it starts next game.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «agree» (+4); the same thing acted on «rules» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Ascertain the principal deficiency of the assertion "Either you feed the hamster or he starves" where a rota of duties exists.

1. It misstates the dietary needs of hamsters — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. It omits further options, such as consulting the rota — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It correctly identifies the only two options available — no support
4. It attacks the character of the other 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

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/world/189-fighting-fair-no-straw-men-no-moving-goalposts-no-either-or/