diff --git a/tests/scripts/features/parallelism b/tests/scripts/features/parallelism
index 98ee8a30..8c3e8294 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/features/parallelism
+++ b/tests/scripts/features/parallelism
@@ -100,12 +100,12 @@ fail.2: ; @#HELPER# -q sleep 2 out $@ wait fail.1 file fail.2 fail 1
 fail.3: ; @#HELPER# -q sleep 3 out $@ wait fail.2 file fail.3 fail 1
 
 ok: ; @#HELPER# -q sleep 4 wait fail.3 out OK!,
-              '-rR -j5', "fail.1\nfail 1
+              '-rR -j5', "fail.1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:5: fail.1] Error 1
 #MAKE#: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
-fail.2\nfail 1
+fail.2
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:6: fail.2] Error 1
-fail.3\nfail 1
+fail.3
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: fail.3] Error 1
 OK",
              512);
diff --git a/tests/scripts/targets/POSIX b/tests/scripts/targets/POSIX
index c40b8dbe..55adbc4d 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/targets/POSIX
+++ b/tests/scripts/targets/POSIX
@@ -6,30 +6,22 @@ $details = "";
 
 
 # Ensure turning on .POSIX enables the -e flag for the shell
-# We can't assume the exit value of "false" because on different systems it's
-# different.
 
-my $script = 'false; true';
-my $flags = '-ec';
-my $out = `$sh_name $flags '$script' 2>&1`;
-my $err = $? >> 8;
 run_make_test(qq!
 .POSIX:
-all: ; \@$script
+all: ; \@#HELPER# -q fail 1; true
 !,
-              '', "#MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:3: all] Error $err\n", 512);
+              '', "#MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:3: all] Error 1\n", 512);
 
 # User settings must override .POSIX
 # In the standard .POSIX must be the first thing in the makefile
 # but we relax that rule in GNU make.
-$flags = '-xc';
-$out = `$sh_name $flags '$script' 2>&1`;
 run_make_test(qq!
-.SHELLFLAGS = $flags
+.SHELLFLAGS = -xc
 .POSIX:
-all: ; \@$script
+all: ; \@#HELPER# -q fail 1; true
 !,
-              '', $out);
+              '', "+ #HELPER# -q fail 1\n+ true\n");
 
 # Test the default value of various POSIX-specific variables
 my %POSIX = (AR => 'ar', ARFLAGS => '-rv',
diff --git a/tests/scripts/variables/MAKEFLAGS b/tests/scripts/variables/MAKEFLAGS
index 24264c23..0d0e896f 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/variables/MAKEFLAGS
+++ b/tests/scripts/variables/MAKEFLAGS
@@ -539,12 +539,12 @@ $(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
 all: one two
 one:
 	$(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; $(info $@)
 !, '',
 "S
 S
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:6: one] Error 1", 512);
 
 # -S in env, -k on the command line.
@@ -554,12 +554,12 @@ $(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
 all: one two
 one:
 	$(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; $(info $@)
 !, '-k',
 "k
 k
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:6: one] Error 1
 two
 #MAKE#: Target 'all' not remade because of errors.", 512);
@@ -571,12 +571,12 @@ $(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
 all: one two
 one:
 	$(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; $(info $@)
 !, '',
 "k
 k
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:6: one] Error 1
 two
 #MAKE#: Target 'all' not remade because of errors.", 512);
@@ -588,12 +588,12 @@ $(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
 all: one two
 one:
 	$(info $(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; $(info $@)
 !, '-S',
 "S
 S
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:6: one] Error 1", 512);
 
 delete $ENV{'MAKEFLAGS'};
@@ -606,12 +606,12 @@ MAKEFLAGS${fl}-k
 all: one two
 one:
 	\$(info \$(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; \$(info \$@)
 ", '',
 "k
 k
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: one] Error 1
 two
 #MAKE#: Target 'all' not remade because of errors.", 512);
@@ -626,12 +626,12 @@ MAKEFLAGS${fl}-k
 all: one two
 one:
 	\$(info \$(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; \$(info \$@)
 ", '-S',
 "S
 S
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: one] Error 1", 512);
 }
 
@@ -645,12 +645,12 @@ MAKEFLAGS${fl}-k
 all: one two
 one:
 	\$(info \$(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; \$(info \$@)
 ", '',
 "S
 S
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: one] Error 1", 512);
 }
 
@@ -665,12 +665,12 @@ MAKEFLAGS${fl}-S
 all: one two
 one:
 	\$(info \$(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; \$(info \$@)
 ", '',
 "S
 S
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: one] Error 1", 512);
 }
 
@@ -682,12 +682,12 @@ MAKEFLAGS${fl}-S
 all: one two
 one:
 	\$(info \$(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; \$(info \$@)
 ", '-k',
 "k
 k
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: one] Error 1
 two
 #MAKE#: Target 'all' not remade because of errors.", 512);
@@ -703,12 +703,12 @@ MAKEFLAGS${fl}-S
 all: one two
 one:
 	\$(info \$(MAKEFLAGS))
-	false
+	#HELPER# -q fail 1
 two:; \$(info \$@)
 ", '',
 "k
 k
-false
+#HELPER# -q fail 1
 #MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:7: one] Error 1
 two
 #MAKE#: Target 'all' not remade because of errors.", 512);
diff --git a/tests/scripts/variables/SHELL b/tests/scripts/variables/SHELL
index 78d887c5..9334c040 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/variables/SHELL
+++ b/tests/scripts/variables/SHELL
@@ -94,17 +94,10 @@ all: ; \@$script
               '', $out);
 }
 
-# We can't just use "false" because on different systems it provides a
-# different exit code--once again Solaris: false exits with 255 not 1
-$script = 'true; false; true';
-$flags = '-xec';
-$out = `$sh_name $flags '$script' 2>&1`;
-my $err = $? >> 8;
-
 run_make_test(qq!
-.SHELLFLAGS = $flags
-all: ; \@$script
+.SHELLFLAGS = -xec
+all: ; \@true; #HELPER# -q fail 1; true
 !,
-              '', "$out#MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:3: all] Error $err\n", 512);
+              '', "+ true\n+ #HELPER# -q fail 1\n#MAKE#: *** [#MAKEFILE#:3: all] Error 1\n", 512);
 
 1;
diff --git a/tests/thelp.pl b/tests/thelp.pl
index c243bcb8..8d29e5c3 100755
--- a/tests/thelp.pl
+++ b/tests/thelp.pl
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ sub op {
     }
 
     if ($op eq 'fail') {
-        print "fail $nm\n";
+        print "fail $nm\n" unless $quiet;
         exit($nm);
     }