Where do the explanations come from?

Which explanations come from the lexicographers?

The last three quiz sentences match lexEN review records. Three professional lexicographers agreed on all three answers. Only the “rate” example has a written explanatory comment; the other two records contain their selected senses without commentary.

The first four questions are illustrative examples from the talk. Their explanations remain editorial because no matching lexEN records were found.

1. What does ‘bank’ mean here?

She deposited her savings at the bank.

No matching lexEN record was found for this example. Its explanation is editorial.

2. Which mathematical skill is used in this step?

3(x + 2) → 3x + 6

No matching lexEN record was found for this example. Its explanation is editorial.

3. What does ‘took off’ mean here?

At the party, Maya took off the headteacher so well that even he laughed.

No matching lexEN record was found for this example. Its explanation is editorial.

4. Which concept explains the mistake in the student’s solution?

Solve: √(x + 6) = xSquaring both sides:x + 6 = x²x² − x − 6 = 0(x − 3)(x + 2) = 0x = 3 or x = −2Both are solutions.

No matching lexEN record was found for this example. Its explanation is editorial.

5. What does ‘rate’ mean here?

The Democratic House attendance rate has not exceeded the Republican House attendance rate since 1959.

Selected sense: a quantity or amount or measure considered as a proportion of another quantity or amount or measure. All three reviewers agree.

“I rejected sense 1 because the attendance rate is not measured by time unit; it's measured as a proportion of votes attended (sense 4).”
Written by a lexicographer

The review of this quiz sentence says “See reasoning at previous instance.” That points back to the same lexicographer’s explanation of “attendance rates” in the preceding passage about roll-call votes. Sense 1 is the time-based option; sense 4 is the proportion option.

lexEN item: senseval3.d001.s038.t002
Review: data/lexen-v1/reviews.jsonl, line 192

Referenced explanation: senseval3.d001.s036.t007, line 189 of the same file.

6. What does ‘Now’ do in this sentence?

Now you could ask me, why should the user mind about MathML?

Selected sense: (prefatory or transitional) indicates a change of subject or activity. All three reviewers agree.

All three reviewers left the comment and additional-notes fields empty. The quiz therefore reports their unanimous verdict and the dictionary definition they selected; it does not attribute an invented explanation to them.

lexEN item: semeval2015.d001.s027.t000
Review: data/lexen-v1/reviews.jsonl, line 332

7. Which meaning best fits ‘believes’?

No one in his right mind actually believes that we all have an equal academic potential.

Selected sense: accept as true; take to be true. All three reviewers agree.

lexEN item: senseval2.d002.s070.t001
Review: data/lexen-v1/reviews.jsonl, line 127