Skill: course-build → write-mcqs → write-explanation, design-check-sequence @ e23b67f (v1, 2 Oct 2026) · v2 fix pass: write-mcqs @ e23b67f (2 Oct 2026, the three reviews applied — see the v2 note at the foot) · v3 polish: write-mcqs @ e23b67f (2 Oct 2026, Reader C's re-read — the v3 note at the foot)

Topic 11 — What a design must do, and what it must stay inside — the PP100's ten question types, with their exemplars

What this page is. James reads a bank as its question TYPES first (vault: A bank is reviewed as its question types first, one exemplar each). Under the Grade 4 standing brief the bank is built straight away (57 items in content/G4T11_pp100_bank.py, v2 of 2 Oct 2026: 53 four-option MCQs and 4 typed items; v1 had 55); this sheet is the way in. The demo (G4DEMO) had no bank on James's brief; this is the bank the Grade 4 build owed it. Each type line says what the stem asks, what the four options (or the accept list) are, and prints one exemplar in full. Tags follow depth of reasoning — easy = pick the one line of four that is or is not a testable job, sort one line, name the kind of limit, name the first step; medium = pick the test of a criterion, rewrite a wish so anyone can test it, apply keep / cross out to a fresh idea, pick the reason an idea is crossed out; hard = check one idea against FOUR lines and name the one it fails or breaks, check four ideas in a table against a board and pick the one kept, pick the reason a line is one kind and not the other, name the term from its definition — and rise with the atom's order: SR4-020 carries easy and medium and one hard term item; SR4-021 easy and medium and four hard; SR4-022, the capstone, is medium and hard with one easy first-step item. (v2: the four typed rule-word items are MEDIUM — a cloze on a fixed phrase is recall of the rule, not more of the skill — and sit at the end of the medium block.) Every hard item carries a one-line "hard because" in the bank file.

Rulings already applied. Four options on every MCQ; no option bundles a verdict with its reason; every stem is a positive question of one or two sentences (S23); "criterion" and "constraint" are chosen among sister words, never typed (RECALL_BY_MCQ: nine- and ten-letter words); the four typed keys are the rule's everyday words (test · before · cross · keep), closed questions with articles, plurals and child forms accepted; no multi-select; every item names ONE atom; US spelling; units as words in prose with numerals; every sentence has a subject and a verb; the headache children (Jack, Molly, Liam) and Miss Reyes never appear in an item; the key-tell checker reads 0 of 101 MCQs flagged (the seven fixed sets are declared in KEY_TELL_EXEMPT_SETS). Items after the coining lessons use the terms (James, 2 Oct 2026: "should be using the language of criterion and constraints now").

The bar list (things a generated item must never say): "a form of" anything; "gravity"; "fit" as a criterion (the lesson uses "fit on the shelf" as a limit on SPACE, so a "must fit" line in this bank is always a constraint and is never asked as criterion-or-constraint on a wish); "the best" / "really good" / "strong" / "nicer" as a NEW case (they are the lessons' own near misses; the bank's wishes are awesome, really funny, really nice, look really fast, the cutest, fantastic, perfect, really special, clever, super, sturdy, fancy, wonderful, neat and tidy, loud enough, steady — v2 barred "cool", which a child tests by touch, and "safe for the egg", which the key's own drop tests); a drop-the-idea verb ("dropped") — an idea is kept or crossed out; an idea that is BOTH a criterion and a constraint; any scene of the lessons, quizzes, attached questions, practice or summary (the feeder, bottle, jar and seed; paper fan, raft, bookend, block tower, paper helicopter, sun hat, toy-dog shelter, zip line, cooler, clay pot, tower, piggy bank, book stand, pet bed, sunshade, sled, cardboard chair, kite, paper lantern, straw rocket, parachute, cup tower, train tunnel, catapult, sleeping bag, greenhouse, robot costume, dog toy, lemonade stand, marble maze); the other demo's scenes (bridge, bookmark, pencil holder, planter, marble run, boat with a sail — the bank's foil sailboat is a boat blown across a tub, no sail test — den, ramp for a car, paper airplane, toy car, phone stand, lunch bag). Characters: only the names in the bank's header (Fay, Gil, Jed, Pam, Val, Ray, Fred, Hank, Polly, Sue, Todd, Stan, Rita, Glen, Jess, Kent, Flo, Walt, Carl, Hugh, Nan — outside the pool, 0 hits as a character in grade4/ grade3/ demos/ reviews/, free in the Grade 3 register; row 11 of grade4/NAMES_POOL.md; v2: Dean → Ray, Dean being Topic 33's child; v3: Lou and Hope retired and nine names added so that no child loses twice). Names in v3: no look-alike or rhyming pair sits inside one item or in neighbouring items; Jed, Pam, Val, Ray and Sue each own one kept idea and one crossed-out idea; every other owner appears once.

The eleven types (ten in v1; type 11 added in v2)

Hard because — type 6: WHO the line is about is held apart from WHAT it says (the class finishes by Friday; the design does nothing on Friday), against the pull of "the class must do it, so it is a criterion"; the TEST of a line is offered as the near miss for "what the design must do". Type 9 (doorstop): one idea is checked against two criteria AND two constraints and the single line it fails or breaks is named — the other three facts in the stem all pass; (four ideas): four ideas are each checked against a criterion and a constraint, only one passes both, and in PP-51 the idea that works BEST (Fred's hose carries 9 meters) breaks the constraint. Type 10 (medium since v2): the rule's deciding word is produced, not picked — recall of the rule. Type 11: the term is named from its definition alone, with no scene to lean on, and the sister term and 'a test' sit beside it.

One exemplar per type, in full

Type 1 (easy, SR4-020). A class makes drums from empty cans. Which of these lines is a criterion? — The drum must be loud enough for everyone. / The drum must be heard from the back of the room. / The drum must be great to play. / The drum must be the best drum in the class. Why: A criterion is a job the design must do, and anyone can test it. You can tap the drum and listen from the back of the room. 'Loud enough' says no place to listen from, so nobody can test it. So 'heard from the back of the room' is the criterion. (nearest lesson-side instance: L01-q2, Tyler's 'The bookend must be great' — there one line, yes / no; here four lines, the near miss 'loud enough' among them)

Type 2 (medium, SR4-020). A class makes whistles. Rita writes: 'The whistle must be loud.' Which line says 'loud' in a way anyone can test? — The whistle must be loud enough to hear across the gym. / The whistle must be really, really loud. / The whistle must be loud enough for everyone. / The whistle must be loud and sound nice. Why: Anyone can test a criterion: use the design, and watch what happens. You can blow the whistle while a friend listens across the gym. The other three lines name no place to listen from. So 'loud enough to hear across the gym' is the testable line. (nearest: L01-q10, Ellie's 'strong' claim and its why — there the rewrite is GIVEN in the why; here the child picks it)

Type 3 (easy, SR4-021). A class makes guitars from cereal boxes. The board says: 'The guitar must fit inside your backpack.' Which kind of line is this? — a criterion / a constraint / a test / neither. Why: A constraint says what you may use, or how much time, space or money you have. 'Fit inside your backpack' says how much space you have. So the line is a constraint. (nearest: L02-q5, the pet bed in a 40-centimeter box — there two options; here four, with 'a test' and 'neither' as sisters)

Type 4 (easy, SR4-021). A class makes crayon boxes. The constraint says: 'The box must fit on the shelf: no wider than 20 centimeters.' Which kind of constraint is this? — what you may use / how much time you have / how much space you have / how much money you have. Why: A constraint says what you may use, or how much time, space or money you have. 'No wider than 20 centimeters' says how much space the box may take. So it is a constraint on space. (nearest: L02-q9, the sled no longer than 1 meter)

Type 5 (medium, SR4-021). A class makes sun clocks for the playground. Which of these board lines is a criterion? — You may spend no more than 2 dollars. / You must finish before recess. / The shadow must point at the right hour at noon. / The clock must fit on the windowsill. Why: A criterion says what the design must do, and anyone can test it. You can look at the shadow at noon and compare it with the clock on the wall. The other three lines say how much money, time or space you have. So 'the shadow must point at the right hour at noon' is the criterion. (nearest: L02-q12, the sled's three lines — there a wish among them; here three constraints, one of each kind but materials)

Type 6 (hard, SR4-021). For a model lighthouse, the line 'You must finish by Friday' is a constraint, not a criterion. Which of these is the reason it is a constraint? — It says what the design must do. / It says what the class may use. / It says how much time the class has. / It says how the class tests the design. Why: The class finishes by Friday, but the lighthouse does nothing on Friday. The line says how much time the class has, and nothing the design must do. So the line is a constraint because it says how much time the class has. (nearest: L02-q10, Carlos's claim '30 minutes is a criterion, because the class must do it' — there a bare no; here the reason is picked)

Type 7 (easy, SR4-022). A class is about to make model lighthouses. Which of these does the class do first? — write the criteria and the constraints down / build the first idea / paint the design / test the built design. Why: Write the criteria and the constraints down before you build. Then every idea is checked against the same criteria and the same constraints. So the class writes the criteria and the constraints down first. (nearest: L03-q9, Mason's build-first claim — there a bare no)

Type 8 (medium, SR4-022). The board for a classroom flag says: criterion 'stay up when the fan blows'; constraint 'one straw and one sheet of paper'. Ray's idea uses two straws and one sheet of paper, so what should Ray do with his idea? — keep it / cross it out / build it first, then check it / change the constraint to fit it. Why: If an idea fails a criterion or breaks a constraint, cross it out. Two straws is more than one straw, so Ray's idea breaks the constraint. So Ray crosses it out. (nearest: L03-q5, Kate's two-sheet rocket — there two options; here four, with the build-first and move-the-constraint errors)

Type 9 (hard, SR4-022, drawn). Here is the board for a doorstop problem [figure board_pp_doorstop]. Kent's idea is a wooden block with sandpaper glued on. It holds the door open, it cracks on the sixth push, and it takes 25 minutes to make. Which line does Kent's idea fail or break? — hold the door open when you push the door / stay in one piece after 10 pushes / one wooden block, sandpaper and glue / finish in 30 minutes. Why: Kent's doorstop uses one wooden block, sandpaper and glue, and 25 minutes is inside 30 minutes. It holds the door open, so it meets the first criterion. But it cracks on the sixth push. So Kent's idea fails 'stay in one piece after 10 pushes'. (nearest: L03's article, Molly's and Liam's idea cards — there the ticks and crosses are DRAWN; here the child produces the cross)

Type 10 (medium since v2, SR4-022, typed). Finish the rule: write the criteria and the constraints down ___ you build. Type the missing word. — accept: before, befor, b4, first before, ahead of when. Why: Write the criteria and the constraints down before you build. If the class builds first, it has nothing to check its ideas against. (nearest: PR-9, the lemonade-stand why — there written out; here the deciding word)

Type 11 (hard, SR4-020; v2). Which of these is the name for a job the design must do, that anyone can test? — a criterion / a constraint / a test / neither. Why: A job the design must do is called a criterion. Anyone can test a criterion: use the design, and watch what happens. A test is how you check a criterion, not the name of the line. So the name is a criterion. (nearest: PR-10, the marble-maze term item — there a scene carries the definition; here the definition stands alone)

⟂ pairs — never drawn into one PP100 form together (v2 numbering; old → new: 52→44, 53→45, 54→46, 55→47, 44→48, 45→49, 46→50, 47→51, 48→52, 49→53, 50→54, 51→55; easy 12→13, 13→14, 14→12, 15→16, 16→15)

PP-12 ⟂ PP-19 ⟂ PP-29 (the 'fit on the shelf: no wider / longer than' line printed as a constraint in PP-19's stem and as a non-criterion in PP-29 — a draw that puts either before PP-12 hands PP-12 over; Reader C, v3) · PP-13 ⟂ PP-14 (the shadow-puppet board's two lines) · PP-15 ⟂ PP-16 (the drawbridge board's two lines) · PP-17 ⟂ PP-31 (the mask: a constraint item and the 'cutest' wish) · PP-18 ⟂ PP-32 (the flag) · PP-20 ⟂ PP-30 ⟂ PP-33 ⟂ PP-38 (the hamster hut and tunnel) · PP-31 ⟂ PP-32 ⟂ PP-33 (the three 'neither' wishes: one per form — the guidance review) · PP-36 ⟂ PP-17 ⟂ PP-31 (the mask board's criterion printed) · PP-37 ⟂ PP-18 ⟂ PP-32 (the flag) · PP-39 ⟂ PP-15 ⟂ PP-16 (the drawbridge) · PP-40 ⟂ PP-29 (the sun clock's criterion printed) · PP-41 ⟂ PP-8 (the rain gauge) · PP-42 ⟂ PP-9 (the spinning top) · PP-43 ⟂ PP-4 (the wheelbarrow: PP-43's stem prints PP-4's key) · PP-48 ⟂ PP-21 ⟂ PP-34 ⟂ PP-35 (the lighthouse) · PP-51 ⟂ PP-52 ⟂ PP-53 (the doorstop board: one per form) · PP-54 ⟂ PP-24 (the foil sailboat: PP-54 prints PP-24's criterion) · PP-55 ⟂ PP-1 (the tin-can telephone: PP-55 prints PP-1's key) · PP-45 ⟂ PP-21 ⟂ PP-34 ("write the criteria and the constraints down" beside the typed before) · PP-46 ⟂ PP-41, PP-42, PP-43 ("crosses … out" in the stems beside the typed cross) · PP-47 ⟂ PP-35 ⟂ PP-36 ⟂ PP-39 ("keep" beside the typed keep) · PP-44 ⟂ PP-22, PP-23, PP-24 ("a test of that criterion" beside the typed test) · PP-56 ⟂ PP-57 (the two definition → term items: one per form) · PP-56 ⟂ PP-44 (the definition prints "anyone can test", the typed test). The test builder reads this list.

For James — two things recorded, not fixed

1. The hard-tier term-recall exemption (as Topic 12 recorded it): the vault's 30 Sep refinement says the hard tier recalls every coined term; here "criterion" and "constraint" are recognised by MCQ (RECALL_BY_MCQ, nine and ten letters) and the hard tier produces the rule's plain words (test · before · cross · keep) instead. Scope: this topic's bank.
2. The open terms call (the Needs-you page's first question): the register's SR4-021 cross note says "everyday wording only" (a success rule / a limit); the demo coined criterion / constraint on James's brief of 2 Oct and Topic 12 recalls them. If James rules for the register's words, every KIND4 / ROLE4 / REASON4 string in this bank changes by one substitution each (the sets are module-level lists), and the type sheet stands.

v2 note (2 Oct 2026, the fix pass)

The blind read, the guidance review and the figure review of 2 Oct were applied in content/G4T11_pp100_bank.py v2: Dean → Ray; PP-13/14 and PP-15/16 stand alone; PP-51–53 ask "fail or break"; PP-41–43 give both lines and the idea's result against each (Todd's glass jar, L03's taught case, is a metal can); "cool" → "awesome"; PP-7's grown-up line is "stay on when a grown-up wears it"; PP-12 and PP-29 state their sizes in the lesson's shelf shape; PP-2's key is "keep the egg whole after a drop from the table" with "really special" among the wishes and every option opening "The holder"; PP-54/55 are one sentence plus a drawn table; the four typed items are medium with wider accept lists; PP-23's criterion names the periscope; PP-6–9's keys carry a tail; the two type-11 items are new. Bank: 57 items (53 MCQ + 4 typed), SR4-020 17 · SR4-021 18 · SR4-022 22, easy 21 · medium 26 · hard 10; key string (53 MCQs, bank order) b d b c a d a c d b a b b a a b a b c d a c a b d a b d c b d d d c d a b b a b b a a c a b c b d c b a b — a 15 · b 18 · c 9 · d 11, no letter above 34 %. The hard tier is now all-MCQ (the typed rule words are recall, so they are medium); the vault's "hard is typed" line is the recorded exception, as the Topic 12 note already held for the two terms.

v3 note (2 Oct 2026, the polish after Reader C's re-read)

Reader C read the whole v2 bundle (107 items) and agreed every key; five items would not ship as they stood, and all five are changed with their keys' letters and meanings kept. PP-25, PP-26 and PP-27 no longer key the one option that drops the vague word: each key keeps the word and adds the test ("keep four cookies steady, none sliding off"; "loud enough to hear across the gym"; "strong enough to hold three books without bending"). PP-21's FIRST4 distractors match the key's shape ("build the first idea the class thinks of", "paint the design in the class colors", "test the design after the class builds it"). PP-30's key is "You have 30 minutes to build the tunnel." and its longest distractor is trimmed; PP-7's key is "really funny to watch" and the shake distractor is shorter. PP-2's distractors are child talk ("the cleverest one in the whole class", "super special to look at", "really nice and really neat"). PP-12 ⟂ PP-19 ⟂ PP-29 is on the ⟂ list. PP-44 accepts check / try beside test (confirmed). Names: Lou and Hope retired; Rita (PP-26), Glen (PP-40), Jess (PP-43), Kent (PP-52), Flo (PP-53), Walt and Carl (PP-54), Hugh and Nan (PP-55) added, each 0 hits in grade4/ grade3/ demos/ reviews/ and free in the register. Bank unchanged in size and order: 57 items (53 MCQ + 4 typed), SR4-020 17 · SR4-021 18 · SR4-022 22, easy 21 · medium 26 · hard 10; key string unchanged (a 15 · b 18 · c 9 · d 11); key-tell checker 0 of 101.