Teaching-mechanic library

type_matched_weapon · general · sorter.type_match

Concept: Any set of categories

Player does: Weapon modes are categories; only the right one hurts each labeled enemy

Breaks: Items that look alike belong to the same category

Category membership follows a defining feature, not surface resemblance.

congruence_stamp · math · sorter.bins

Concept: Congruence criteria

Player does: Sort triangle pairs into SSS / SAS / ASA / not enough info

Breaks: SSA proves congruence

Side-Side-Angle does not guarantee congruent triangles; it can produce two different triangles from the same measurements.

reaction_type_sorter · chemistry · sorter.bins

Concept: Reaction types

Player does: Sort reactions into synthesis, decomposition, single/double replacement, combustion

Breaks: Any reaction with O₂ is combustion

Combustion specifically requires a fuel reacting rapidly with oxygen to release heat and light, not just any reaction involving O2.

polarity_sorter · chemistry · sorter.bins

Concept: Molecular polarity

Player does: Sort molecules polar vs nonpolar from their shape

Breaks: Polar bonds always make a polar molecule

A molecule's overall polarity depends on its geometry too, since symmetric arrangements of polar bonds can cancel out.

membrane_router · biology · sorter.bins

Concept: Membrane selectivity

Player does: Route molecules to simple diffusion, channel, or pump

Breaks: Anything small passes freely

The membrane is selectively permeable, so a molecule's charge and polarity, not just its size, decide its crossing route.

taxonomy_tower · biology · sorter.hierarchy

Concept: Classification hierarchy

Player does: Nest kingdom through species into a climbable tower

Breaks: Species that look alike are closest relatives

Taxonomic closeness is based on shared ancestry and genetics, and can differ from superficial resemblance.

immune_defense · biology · sorter.type_match

Concept: Innate vs adaptive immunity

Player does: Deploy the right defender against each invader

Breaks: Antibiotics kill viruses

Antibiotics target bacterial processes and have no effect on viruses.

plate_boundary_sorter · earth_space · sorter.bins

Concept: Plate boundaries

Player does: Sort features to convergent, divergent, or transform boundaries

Breaks: Earthquakes only happen at convergent boundaries

Earthquakes occur at all three boundary types, including the sliding motion of transform boundaries.

evidence_lab · history · sorter.bins

Concept: Primary vs secondary sources

Player does: Inspect documents and classify each one

Breaks: Old means primary

A primary source comes directly from the time or people being studied; age alone does not decide the category.

era_sorter · history · sorter.bins

Concept: Periodization

Player does: Sort artifacts and events into eras

Breaks: Eras begin and end on exact dates

Historical eras are analytical categories with fuzzy, debated boundaries, not events with exact start and end dates.

branch_router · civics · sorter.bins

Concept: Separation of powers

Player does: Route each power to the legislative, executive, or judicial branch

Breaks: The president makes laws

Congress makes laws; the president's executive branch enforces them.

federalism_venn · civics · sorter.venn

Concept: Federalism

Player does: Place powers in the federal, state, or shared regions

Breaks: States can't make laws of their own

Federalism divides power between national and state governments, and states retain law-making authority of their own.

climate_zone_sorter · geography · sorter.bins

Concept: Climate zones

Player does: Sort cities into climate zones from their data

Breaks: Latitude alone sets climate

Climate depends on elevation, ocean currents, and prevailing winds too, not on latitude alone.

gdp_sorter · economics · sorter.bins

Concept: GDP components

Player does: Sort transactions into C, I, G, NX, or not counted

Breaks: Buying a used car counts toward GDP

GDP counts newly produced goods and services, so a resale like a used car is excluded.

policy_levers · economics · sorter.bins

Concept: Fiscal vs monetary policy

Player does: Assign each lever to the central bank or the legislature

Breaks: The president sets interest rates

Interest rates are set by the central bank's monetary policy, while the legislature controls fiscal policy like spending and taxes.

conditioning_lab · psychology · sorter.bins

Concept: Classical vs operant conditioning

Player does: Sort scenarios into classical or operant and label the parts

Breaks: Negative reinforcement is punishment

Negative reinforcement removes something aversive to increase a behavior, while punishment decreases a behavior.

experiment_designer · psychology · sorter.bins

Concept: Experimental design

Player does: Label the IV, DV, controls, and confounds

Breaks: Correlational studies show causes

Only a controlled experiment that manipulates the independent variable can support a causal claim; correlation alone cannot.

maslow_tower · psychology · sorter.hierarchy

Concept: Hierarchy of needs

Player does: Stack needs into the tower's levels

Breaks: Higher needs never matter until lower ones are fully met

Maslow's levels describe a general tendency, and people often pursue higher needs before lower ones are fully satisfied.

fallacy_duel · philosophy · sorter.type_match

Concept: Fallacies

Player does: Parry each fallacy the Sophist throws with its name

Breaks: An argument with a fallacy has a false conclusion

A fallacy is a flaw in the reasoning, so a fallacious argument can still happen to reach a true conclusion.

ethics_lenses · philosophy · sorter.bins

Concept: Ethical frameworks

Player does: Sort judgments into utilitarian, deontological, or virtue reasoning

Breaks: Deontology judges actions by their consequences

Deontology judges actions by whether they follow a duty or rule, while consequences are what utilitarianism weighs.

device_hunter · literature · sorter.type_match

Concept: Literary devices

Player does: Tag each passage's device as it scrolls past

Breaks: Every comparison is a metaphor

A simile compares with "like" or "as" while a metaphor asserts one thing is another, so not every comparison is a metaphor.

appeal_sorter · writing · sorter.bins

Concept: Ethos, pathos, logos

Player does: Sort ad lines by rhetorical appeal

Breaks: Pathos means manipulating with emotion

Pathos is a legitimate appeal to emotion that can support an argument, not by definition a manipulation.

gender_gates · language · sorter.bins

Concept: Noun gender / classes

Player does: Only the matching-gender gate opens for each noun

Breaks: Grammatical gender follows meaning

Grammatical gender is a memorized class of the noun, not a reflection of the object's real-world meaning.

movement_sorter · art · sorter.bins

Concept: Art movements

Player does: Sort described works into movements by their features

Breaks: Movements are defined by date alone

An art movement is defined by shared stylistic features and ideas, not just by when a work was made.