Mia got a goose egg by cheating...

[dido4]

Is the sentence correct?

Mia got a goose egg by cheating on the math test.

A goose egg means 0 points.
So the sentence can be rewrite as below:

Mia got zero by cheating on the math test.

Thank you

 

[emsr2d2]

Grammatically, the words appear to be in the right order and fit all correct constructions but I have no idea what it means. Why would someone receive a goose egg? What does a goose egg have to do with a maths test?

Edit: The OP added the explanation to post #1 after I posted this.

 

[dido4]

A goose egg means 0 points.
So the sentence can be rewrite as below:

Mia got zero by cheating on the math test.

 

[Barb_D]

It's round, like a zero. It's slang for zero.

It's only used informally - the other team scored seven runs and we came up with a big old goose egg.

I wouldn't use it for a grade on a test.

I'd say "She got a zero" because that's what was recorded in the grade book.

Mom, I got a 98 on my science test.
I see you got only a 77 on your math test.
These are American uses - I know that other dialects use different terms for school grades/marks, etc.

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't think that phrase is used in BrE.

I also don't see why anyone would cheat in order to obtain a score of zero. Do you mean that she cheated on the maths test (so presumably she was initially given quite a good score) but someone found out that she cheated and her score was changed to zero as a punishment for cheating?

She got a zero by cheating = She cheated in order to get a zero.
She got a zero for cheating = Her punishment for cheating was a zero score.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Or perhaps she is so inept that despite cheating she still got a zero.

I wouldn't say, "...cheating on the math test." I would say, "...cheating in the maths test."

 

[Barb_D]

An American would say "cheating on the math test."
She got a zero for cheating on the math test.

 

[Tdol]

I don't think that phrase is used in BrE.

Oxford have it down as American: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/goose-egg