Improving Your Test Questions
Use the alternatives "none of the above" and "all of the above" sparingly. When used, such alternatives should occasionally be used as the correct response. The acquisition of morality is a developmental process. The acquisition of morality is a developmental process. The acquisition of morality is a developmental process. If this statement is false, what makes it false? For simple true-false items, each student has a 50/50 chance of correctly answering the item without any knowledge of the item's content. Base true-false items upon statements that are absolutely true or false, without qualifications or exceptions. Nearsightedness is hereditary in origin. Geneticists and eye specialists believe that the predisposition to nearsightedness is hereditary. Express the item statement as simply and as clearly as possible. When you see a highway with a marker that reads, "Interstate 80" you know that the construction and upkeep of that road is built and maintained by the state and federal government. The construction and maintenance of interstate highways is provided by both state and federal governments.
Express a single idea in each test item. Water will boil at a higher temperature if the atmospheric pressure on its surface is increased and more heat is applied to the container. Water will boil at a higher temperature if the atmospheric pressure on its surface is increased. Water will boil at a higher temperature if more heat is applied to the container. Include enough background information and qualifications so that the ability to respond correctly to the item does not depend on some special, uncommon knowledge. The second principle of education is that the individual gathers knowledge. According to John Dewey, the second principle of education is that the individual gathers knowledge. Avoid lifting statements from the text, lecture or other materials so that memory alone will not permit a correct answer. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. If you were to stand in a canoe and throw a life jacket forward to another canoe, chances are your canoe would jerk backward.
Avoid using negatively stated item statements. The Supreme Court is not composed of nine justices. The Supreme is composed of nine justices. Avoid the use of unfamiliar vocabulary. According to some politicians, the raison d'etre for capital punishment is retribution. According to some politicians, justification for the existence of capital punishment is retribution. Avoid the use of specific determiners which would permit a test-wise but unprepared examinee to respond correctly. Specific determiners refer to sweeping terms like "all," "always," "none," "never," "impossible," "inevitable," etc. Statements including such terms are likely to be false. On the other hand, statements using qualifying determiners such as "usually," "sometimes," "often," etc., are likely to be true. When statements do require the use of specific determiners, make sure they appear in both true and false items. The Supreme Court isfrequentlyrequired to rule on the constitutionality of a law. An objective test isgenerallyeasier to score than an essay test.
The sum of the angles of a triangle isalways1800 . Each molecule of a given compound is chemically the same aseveryother molecule of that compound. The galvanometer is the instrumentusuallyused for the metering of electrical energy used in a home. False items tend to discriminate more highly than true items. Therefore, use more false items than true items (but no more than 15% additional false items). Directions: On the line to the left of each factual statement, write the letter of the principle which bests explains the statement's occurrence. Each principle may be used more than once. Fossils of primates first appear in the Cenozoic rock strata, while trilobite remains are found in the Proterozoic rocks. The Arctic and Antarctic regions are sparsely populated. Plants have no nervous system. Large coal beds exist in Alaska. There have been profound changes in the climate on earth. Coordination and integration of action is generally slower in plants than in animals.
There is an increasing complexity of structure and functions from lower to higher forms of life. All life comes from life and produces its own kind of living organisms. Light is a limiting factor to life. Matching items - require short periods of reading and response time, allowing you to cover more content. Include directions which clearly state the basis for matching the stimuli with the responses. Explain whether or not a response can be used more than once and indicate where to write the answer. On the line to the left of each identifying location and characteristics in Column I, write the letter of the country in Column II that is best defined. Each country in Column II may be used more than once. Use only homogeneous material in matching items. Directions: Match the following. On the line to the left of each compound in Column I, write the letter of the compound's formula presented in Column II. Use each formula only once. Arrange the list of responses in some systematic order if possible (e.g., chronological, alphabetical). Directions: On the line to the left of each definition in Column I, write the letter of the defense mechanism in Column II that is described. Use each defense mechanism only once.