--- title: Colds, coughs and the weather — how Mova does on the tests · Myths description: Lesson 4 of the myths course of Mova's primary school: 6 of 11 tests right, exam 2 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/) / [Myths](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/myths/) / 4 # Colds, coughs and the weather **Tests:** 6 of 11 right · **Exam:** 2 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 11 of 15 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72` Lesson 4 of the myths 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/). Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/). ### Test 1 · ★ · right ✓ {#t1} Your mate goes to the South Pole station where nobody has a cold for months. A scientist arrives with a cold. What would happen? - **1.** Nobody could ever catch a cold that cold — score 0 - **2.** People might start catching colds, because the virus has arrived — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4 - **3.** The cold air would kill the virus at once — no support - **4.** Everyone already had colds from the freezing air — score 2 **Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 2 with score 4, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 2: «It feels true, because colds really do come in winter. But a cold is caused by a virus, a tiny germ that has to come from another person: a sneeze on the bus,…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «come» (+2); the same doer «tiny germ» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t1/) ### Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t2} "Mum literally said if I sit by the open window I'll catch a cold. Is that a thing?" - **1.** Yes, but only after dark — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Feeling chilly won't give you one, a virus from someone will — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** Only if the window faces north — no support - **4.** Yes, cold draughts carry colds in from outside through the gaps — 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t2/) ### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3} Two friends argue. Kai: "Colds come from viruses." Bea: "No, from cold weather, that's why it's called a cold!" Who is right? - **1.** Kai, the name is old and the cause is a virus — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** Neither, colds come from eating ice cream — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 - **3.** Both, half of colds are viruses and half weather — no support - **4.** Bea, the name proves where it comes from — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 2: «It feels true, because colds really do come in winter. But a cold is caused by a virus, a tiny germ that has to come from another person: a sneeze on the bus,…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «come» (+2); the same doer «colds» (+2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t3/) ### Test 4 · ★ · right ✓ {#t4} Nan won't believe you about viruses and keeps nagging about your coat. What's the wisest move? - **1.** Shout that she's been wrong for fifty years — no support - **2.** Go out without it to prove your point — no support - **3.** Refuse to wear it until she admits she's wrong — no support - **4.** Wear the coat, it's cosy, and gently say the cold itself is a virus — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8 **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 5: «Once you know the real cause, the real fixes make sense: wash your hands, catch sneezes in a tissue, rest, drink plenty, and keep antibiotics for germs they ca…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same thing acted on «germs» (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t4/) ### Test 5 · ★ · right ✓ {#t5} "doc gave me nothing for my cold!! rubbish doctor innit, I wanted antibiotics" What's the truth? - **1.** He should have given a double dose — no support - **2.** The doctor was right, antibiotics don't work on cold viruses — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5 - **3.** Antibiotics work on colds only in winter — score 5 - **4.** The doctor just forgot that antibiotics cure colds really fast — score 5 **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 4, line 12: «Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses, so they do not help a cold; taking them when not needed helps germs become resistant to them.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «antibiotics» (+2); the same circumstance (+2); a different action (counts against) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t5/) ### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6} A cartoon shows a boy with a bare head on a ski slope, but wrapped up everywhere else, losing loads of heat from his head. What makes that true in the cartoon? - **1.** His head is the only bare part, so heat escapes there — **✓ the right answer** · score 8 - **2.** Ski slopes are colder at head height — no support - **3.** Snow pulls heat out of hair faster — no support - **4.** Heads always lose most of your heat, whatever else you wear — **← Mova's choice** · score 12 **Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 12, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 10: «Your head loses about as much heat as any other bare part of the same size; the "most heat through your head" idea came from a test where only the head was lef…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same action «lose» (+4); the same doer «head» (+4). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). The right option, 1, scored 8. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t6/) ### Test 7 · ★ · right ✓ {#t7} "Me nan swears by chicken soup. Should I tell her it's a myth?" Best answer? - **1.** Yes, tell her straight away it's useless — no support - **2.** Pour it away so she learns — no support - **3.** Just thank her, soup soothes you and kindness needn't be corrected — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 2 - **4.** Tell her only vitamin tablets work — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 15: «Chicken soup does not cure a cold, but warm drinks and soup can soothe a sore throat and help you drink enough.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «soothe» (+1); the same doer «warm drinks» (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t7/) ### Test 8 · ★ · right ✓ {#t8} What would happen if you never washed your hands all winter? - **1.** You'd be more likely to pass on and catch cold viruses — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 0 - **2.** You'd only get colds in the summer instead of the winter — no support - **3.** You'd be safer, because a bit of dirt protects you from germs — no support - **4.** Nothing, because colds only ever come from breathing cold air — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 5: «Once you know the real cause, the real fixes make sense: wash your hands, catch sneezes in a tissue, rest, drink plenty, and keep antibiotics for germs they ca…», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «catch» (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t8/) ### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9} Your big brother says, "Feed a cold, starve a fever, it's like a rule of medicine." What do you say? - **1.** It's an old saying; with both you should drink and eat when hungry — **✓ the right answer** · score 6 - **2.** It only works for grown-ups — no support - **3.** He's right, and doctors still teach it to this day exactly as he says — no support - **4.** It's the other way round: starve a cold — **← Mova's choice** · score 8 **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 8, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 6: «Colds are caused by viruses that spread from people, through coughs, sneezes and hands; being cold or having wet hair does not by itself give you a cold.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same thing acted on «cold» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). The right option, 1, scored 6. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t9/) ### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10} Why is the vitamin C story a good lesson about famous people? - **1.** Famous people always test their ideas on themselves — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Even a famous scientist can be wrong outside his own work — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** Famous scientists are never wrong about anything at all, ever — no support - **4.** Vitamins were invented by a famous scientist — 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t10/) ### Test 11 · ★ · right ✓ {#t11} A girl is shivering, soaking wet, on a freezing winter walk. Why should she get warm and dry fast? - **1.** Being soaked in great cold can lead to dangerous hypothermia — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** Her wet coat is full of cold viruses — no support - **3.** She'll catch a cold within ten minutes if she doesn't change at once — no support - **4.** Wet clothes make your snot turn green — 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/t11/) ### Exam question 1 · formal language · right ✓ {#e1} Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the cause of the common cold? - **1.** It is caused by insufficient consumption of vitamin C — no support - **2.** It is caused by exposure of the body to low temperatures — no support - **3.** It is caused by going out of doors with damp hair — no support - **4.** It is caused by viruses transmitted between persons — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 12 **Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 12, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 2: «It feels true, because colds really do come in winter. But a cold is caused by a virus, a tiny germ that has to come from another person: a sneeze on the bus,…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same action «cause» (+4); the same doer «virus» (+4). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/e1/) ### Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓ {#e2} Identify the principal reason for which antibiotic medicines are not prescribed for the common cold. - **1.** Antibiotics act only upon infections of the head — no support - **2.** Antibiotics are reserved exclusively for adults — no support - **3.** Antibiotics act upon bacteria, whereas the cold is viral — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 3 - **4.** Antibiotics are ineffective during the winter months — 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 4, line 12: «Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses, so they do not help a cold; taking them when not needed helps germs become resistant to them.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same doer «antibiotics» (+2); the same circumstance (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/e2/) ### Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e3} It is given that a febrile child is covered with numerous heavy blankets in order to "sweat out" the fever. Select the response consistent with established medical advice. - **1.** The child is to be immersed in iced water — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Additional blankets are to be applied without delay to induce sweating — no support - **3.** Light coverings and adequate fluids are to be preferred — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **4.** All fluids are to be withheld until the fever subsides — 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/e3/) ### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4} Select the response that is consistent with the established facts concerning loss of heat through the head. - **1.** The head loses no heat whatsoever when uncovered — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 - **2.** Heat is lost through the head only during sleep — score 2 - **3.** The head loses heat in proportion to its exposed surface, as other parts do — **✓ the right answer** · score 4 - **4.** The head is responsible for the greater part of all heat lost — score 4 **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. 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 4, line 10: «Your head loses about as much heat as any other bare part of the same size; the "most heat through your head" idea came from a test where only the head was lef…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «head» (+2); the same thing acted on «much heat» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/myths/4-colds-coughs-and-the-weather/e4/) - ← previous: [3. Eyes and ears](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/myths/3-eyes-and-ears/) - next →: [5. Moving, swimming and sport](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/myths/5-moving-swimming-and-sport/) - ↑ back to [Myths](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/myths/)