Proof Hunter
A reading-comprehension game for ages 11–13. Answer the question and the game *highlights the
exact line in the text that proves it* — whether you got it right or wrong.
Run it
open proof-hunter/index.html
./serve.sh # local-serviceWhy it's built this way
Comprehension is not a memory test, so the passage stays on screen the whole time. Looking
back at the text is the skill, not cheating.
Three things make it a game rather than a worksheet:
1. The proof is shown, every time. After each answer the sentence that settles it is
highlighted in the passage and quoted in the analysis. Nobody has to hunt for it — the point
is to build the habit of noticing that an answer always has a line behind it.
2. Named traps. Wrong answers aren't random. Every wrong option in the game is tagged with
one of six traps — Not In The Text, The Flip, True But Useless, Wrong Size, Word Trap,
Half Right — and when you fall for one, the game names it and explains that specific option.
3. Your nemesis. Trap falls are counted across every run, so the game can tell you which
trick catches you and send you to the guide entry for it.
Picking an extract
Home → Pick an extract lists all 13 passages, and each one carries *the percentage you have
scored on it* — lifetime average, your best go, and how many attempts. Colour-banded so weak
spots stand out: green 80%+, amber 50%+, red below, grey for untried.
Filter to Not tried, Under 80% or Full marks to go straight to what needs work, and
the Short/Medium/Long cards on the home screen show your average across each size. Only
completed runs count, so a percentage always means "out of the whole extract".
Sizes
| Words | Questions | Adds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short | 60–120 | 3 | Straight answers, vocabulary in context |
| Medium | 150–250 | 4 | Inference, tone, sequence, true/false/not-said |
| Long | 300–400 | 5 | Main idea, writer's purpose, multi-paragraph reasoning |
| The Ladder | — | 12 | One short, one medium, one long, back to back |
The Hunter's Guide
A full strategy screen for kids: the five steps that work on any comprehension question, all
six traps with worked examples and how to beat each one, and what each question type is
actually asking for. It tracks how often each trap has caught you.
Your progress
Saved in this browser under one permanent key (proofhunter). Updates never wipe it — a new
version merges onto the existing save and fills any new field with a default, so XP, rank,
solved cases and trap history all carry over. Cases or traps removed in a later version are
dropped cleanly rather than corrupting the file, and a damaged save is repaired instead of
throwing. Each browser and device keeps its own save; Home → Save file gives a transfer code
to move one across.
Content
13 original case files (7 short, 4 medium, 2 long), 47 questions, ~2,500 words of passage
text — all written for this game. Topics: animals, science, history, story, argument.
Cases come from a shuffle bag, so every one is played before any repeats.
Every question is validated on build: exactly one correct answer, every wrong option carries a
named trap and a written explanation, and every proof index points at a real sentence.