Yun-Pi Yuan1 Lesson Ten Multiple-Choice Format

Yun-Pi Yuan2 Contents Advantages and disadvantages Terminology Guidelines for making items The stem The response alternatives

Yun-Pi Yuan3 Advantages & Disadvantages Advantages: Practicality: machine scorable (fast, easy, economical) Reliability: objectively scored, less chance of guessing in comparison to T/F Disadvantages: Labor-intensive to write Negative washback as it’s discrete-point Only measure receptive skills (or recognition knowledge) Might not be valid when used to measure productive skills (e.g., writing & speaking) Easy to guess and cheat

Yun-Pi Yuan4 Terminology stem (or prompt) the beginning part of the item options (or alternatives, choices, responses) key (or target response) the correct choice distrctors incorrect choices

Yun-Pi Yuan5 Guidelines for Making Items The stem In a simple, concise form  task is clear & unambiguous Avoid negatively worded stem since they make extra demands on testees Try not to present other difficulty in the stem other than what is supposed to be testing Jane donated a candelabrum to the charity bazaar.

Yun-Pi Yuan6 The Stem Avoid stems that inadvertently give clues to the right answer. Charlie is always late for school, so his mother is going to buy an clock for him. A. ring B. alarm C. morning D. bell Avoid making the stem identical to materials used in class (to reduce the memory effect)

Yun-Pi Yuan7 The Response Alternatives (1) Distractors and the target response should belong to the same general grammatical or semantic category. Distractors should also refer to the text in some way (otherwise, easily eliminated). She walked up the steps to the library. A. weak B. slowly C. try D. wisdom Japan has few natural resources. To prosper and survive, the country must import raw materials, maintain high standards of manufacturing, and sell finished goods in foreign markets. Japanese prosperity depends most on: A. discovering new raw materials. B. importing manufactured goods. C. her people’s religion D. high levels of international trade.

Yun-Pi Yuan8 The Response Alternatives (2) When the stem is an incomplete statement that calls for completion, use distractors that are grammatically compatible with the stem. All distractors should be equally attractive and plausible. Tips for devising distractors: Define grammatical/semantic category to which the distractors should belong. Think of alternatives that have some association with the stem or target response.

Yun-Pi Yuan9 The Response Alternatives (3) Choose distractors that can tell you something about where the students are going wrong if they select them. Avoid tricky distractors that distract testees for trivial or unimportant reasons. To cook by exposing to direct heat. A. roost B. burn C. broil D. fry

Yun-Pi Yuan10 The Response Alternatives (4) Avoid including more than one correct alternatives. Avoid distractors that might be correct in another dialect, regional variation, or modality of language. He left the office early he could do some shopping. A. so B. if C. unless D. that

Yun-Pi Yuan11 The Response Alternatives (5) Avoid using alternatives that contain words or phrases that match the stem if other alternatives don’t contain similar matching elements. Eliminate the possibility of choosing correct answer on the basis of general knowledge. When tourists from Canada go to Florida on vacation, they travel. A. north B. west C. east D. south

Yun-Pi Yuan12 The Response Alternatives (6) Avoid repetitious wording, redundancy, and unnecessary detail in alternatives. Robert went to the hospital A. because he wanted to.... B. because he realized.... C. because he was.... D. because his brother....  change the stem to: Robert went to the hospital because

Yun-Pi Yuan13 The Response Alternatives (7) When several items are based on the same text, the answer to one question should not be given by the wording of another. 1. What did Mary serve Sam? A. B. 2. Where did Sam go for dinner? A. to Mary’s B. home C. to the school cafeteria

Yun-Pi Yuan14 The Response Alternatives (8) Avoid answers that refer to several other answer choices. She didn’t go to the party because she. A. was sick B. had nothing to wear C. was expecting an important call D. B and C but no A