Comments on: Can you answer these 6 questions about multiple-choice questions?

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:22:07 +0000

Hi Cathy,

Which stupid Multiple Choice question did you forget?

a) The one where it’s absolutely obvious that this is the wrong answer
b) The one where the question and / or answers are so badly written that two or more answers could be correct depending on how the learner interprets the question
c) My personal favourite: where the list of possible answers are true, false, it depends
d) The question is really two questions in one, but the options only answer one part of the question
e) All of the above – except that there is no all of the above option

A further note – I read an article some years ago about the ‘danger’ of multiple choice. When a student selects a wrong answer – the wrong answer is more likely to become ’stuck’ in their mind because they had to physicaly mark it – not just passively read it.

Loved the blog.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:24:24 +0000

Cathy,

Great way to get your point across. Thanks very much.

By: Rashmi Bharti

Rashmi Bharti — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:46:52 +0000

Good observation but ironically such courses exist where multiple choice questions fall under the above asked 6 questions category.

By: Making Change » Could animations hurt learning?

Making Change » Could animations hurt learning? — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:19:09 +0000

[...] Is a course really the answer? Common mistakes when writing multiple-choice questions [...]

By: Saffron Interactive » Blog Archive » How can I get the best from my questions?

Fri, 08 May 2009 08:58:52 +0000

[...] of where the question appears in the course – how do you make it a good one? Take a look at Cathy Moore’s blog for a brilliant illustration of how not to write questions, and keep in mind these top [...]

By: Cathy Moore

Cathy Moore — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:13:55 +0000

Emma, thanks for linking to that funny & useful PowerPoint. For those who haven’t seen it: The slideshow presents a test full of gibberish. It suffers from common question-writing errors that let you figure out the correct answers even though you don’t understand the content. It’s from Phil Race, a consultant and visiting professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, and is based on a test published by Roger Lewis. You can find more from Phil Race here: http://www.phil-race.com/downloads.html.

By: Emma

Emma — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:25:27 +0000

I like it! I’ll use it to supplement http://www.phil-race.net/Dowloads/mcqDesign.ppt which I already use to demonstrate the issues surrounding the design of multiple choice questions.

By: Making Change » No budget? Great!

Making Change » No budget? Great! — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:04:59 +0000

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By: Arjun Chaudhuri

Arjun Chaudhuri — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:08:07 +0000

More often than not, a parody is a great way to underline the shortcomings of a process. Underlining shortcomings isn’t always the work of a cynic; especially when blended with the right kind and amount of humour, it can be taken as constructive criticism, which is always effective teaching. Therein lies the importance of sound designing and meticulous testing.

The clients have to be convinced that the metaphorical package of parody is indeed a fruitful way of delivering instructions, especially to advanced-level learners like members of management, even in a matter-of-fact corporate environment.

By: andedammen » I e-l

andedammen » I e-l — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:20:58 +0000

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