Tips for Making Multiple Choice Questions

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TIPS FOR MAKING

MULTIPLE CHOICE

QUESTIONS

www.ei-india.com/asset-qmc

National Question-Making Competition

Better learning through good questions


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Published by Educational Initiatives Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, 2009

This document is not copyrighted. You may make copies of it and distribute it, but mustacknowledge the source. You are requested to inform Educational Initiatives in such cases.

This document has been developed and published with the objective of helping teachersimprove classroom testing and evaluation.

Please send us comments and feedback ator call at 09990499504 (Atul Pandey) for more details

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CONTENTS:

Chapter 1 : Basics of question Making

Chapter 2 : Key principles of Question Making

chapter 3 : Different Formats of Questions

Chapter 4 : Making Multiple choice questionschapter 5 : Using passage in Hindi

chapter 6 : Question Rating Exercise

The one real goal of education

is to leave a person asking

questions.

- Max Beerhohm


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1 : Basics of question Making

1

Welcome to the 1st chapter of the Question Making Tips series. In this chapter, we look at the purpose ofasking questions, and the different levels of cognitive skills that questions can test.

WHY LEARN ABOUT MAKING QUESTIONS?

A good question is one that challenges and stimulates a child to think deeply and to apply concepts learnt.The ability to ask questions that make students think both at the time of instruction and assessment, is thehallmark of a good teacher. A good question, correctly framed, can help a teacher understand the thoughtprocesses of students and how well a child has internalized a concept or mastered a skill.

Questions are very important because of the following reasons- They influence what and how students study, and what they learn (thus they provide an opportunity to

focus on what's really worth learning). They provide feedback on what students are learning. They can stimulate thinking and develop higher level thinking skills, strategies and habits. They can help to distinguish Mechanical Learning (apparent learning) from Learning for

Understanding (real learning) They can help to identify common misconceptions, common errors.

To appreciate these points further, we need to first understand how questions can test different levels ofthinking- and thereby promote or discourage certain levels of thinking. The Blooms taxonomy levels areused to explore this.

HIGHER AND LOWER ORDER SKILLS.

Bloom's Taxonomy (Benjamin Bloom (ed)., Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook I CognitiveDomain (New York: David McKay Co., 1956)) is a hierarchical system of ordering thinking skills fromlower to higher, with the higher levels including all of the cognitive skills from the lower levels.Below are the levels of the taxonomy, a brief explanation of each one, and examples of questions, whichrequire students to use thinking skills at each level.

>KNOWLEDGE:Remembering previously learned material

Skills Demonstrated Observation and recall of information Knowledge of dates, events, places Knowledge of major ideas mastery of subject matter

Question Cues:

List, define, tell, describe, identify, show,label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote,name, who, when, where, etc.

QuestionDefine a Verb

Example: 2

QuestionState Newton's first law of motion

Example: 1


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by explaining in one's own words or citing examples.

Skills Demonstrated Understanding information Grasp meaning Translate knowledge into new context interpret

facts, compare, contrast Order, group, infer causes predict consequences

Example: 1

Example: 2

>APPLICATION:Using information in a new context to solve a problem, to answer a question, or toperform another task.

Skills Demonstrated Use information Use methods, concepts, theories in new situations Solve problems using required skills or knowledge

Example: 1

Example: 2

COMPREHENSION: Understanding the meaning of remembered material, usually demonstrated

Question Cues:

Summarize, describe, interpret,contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend

Question Cues:

App ly, de mon str ate, ca lcu late,complete, illustrate, show, solve,examine, modify

QuestionGive two examples of adjectives.

QuestionExplain the process of digestion.

QuestionHow does the law of supply and demand explain the current increase in vegetable prices?

QuestionAll living things can be grouped as PLANTS or ANIMALS. Which of these in the list below areANIMALS?

A. All are animals.

B. Lion and crocodile are animals.C. Lion, man and crocodile are animals.D. Lion, man, crocodile, fly and fish are animals

GRASSLIONFLY CROCODILEMANFISH

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates


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Skills Demonstrated Seeing patterns Organization of parts Recognition of hidden meanings identification

of components

Example: 1

Example: 2

Example: 3

>SYNTHESIS: Putting parts together to form a new whole, pattern or structure.

Skills Demonstrated Use old ideas to create new ones Generalize from given facts Relate knowledge from several areas Predict, draw conclusions

ANALYSIS: Breaking a piece of material into its parts and explaining the relationship between the parts.

QuestionWhat factors in the Indian economy are affecting the current price of petrol?

QuestionWhat parts of the Goldilocks story could not have actually happened?

Question Cues:

Analyze, separate , order, explain,connect, classify, arrange, divide,compare, select, explain, infer

QuestionA trained monkey sits quietly or rubs its head when shown coloured cards in 3 positions as shownbelow. Here are some results.

One of these rules describes when the monkey rubs its head. Which one could it be?A. when there is a red card in the left-most positionB. when there is a red card in the central positionC. when there is a blue card in the right-most positionD. when there is a blue card to the right of a red one

R R B R B R B R R

R Red card B Blue card

Left Middle Right Left Middle Right Left Middle Right

Question Cues:

Combine, integrate, modify, rearrange,substitute, plan, create, design, invent,what if? Compose, formulate, prepare,generalize


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Example: 1

Example: 2

Example: 3

>EVALUATION:arrive at a reasoned judgment.

Skills Demonstrated Compare and discriminate between ideas assess

value of theories, presentations Make choices based on reasoned argument Verify value of evidence recognize subjectivity

Example: 1

Example: 2

Using a set of criteria, established by the student or specified by the instructor, to

Question

Question

How is a family like a government?

How successful would the law to wear seat belts in cars and helments be in controlling accidents?

QuestionEmperor Penguins in Antarctica are sea birds which dive under water to feedon fish, squids and krill. Which of the following MOST LIKELY helps it tocatch its prey in the water without being caught by other predators ?

A. Their beaks are short and sharp like those of a sparrow.B. They have thick webbed feet which helps them to move fast over land.C. Their black and white colours makes it difficult for them to be seen in the

sea.D. They have plump bodies which do not allow them to dive deep into the

waters.

Question

Question

Design an experiment to check whether the flowering of a plant is affected by the duration ofsunlight exposure.

Given a list of three potential investments, including their interest rates, lengths of investment,and compounding schedule, select the best option, and defend you decision.

Question Cues:

Assess, decide, rank, grade, test,measure, recommend, convince, select,judge, explain, discriminate, support,conclude, compare, summarize

The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.

Thomas Berger


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WHAT ARE LOWER/HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONS?

Lower order questions are those at the knowledge, comprehension, and simple application levels of thetaxonomy. Higher-level questions are those requiring complex application (e.g., analysis, synthesis, andevaluation skills).

Usually questions at the lower orders are appropriate for: Evaluating students' preparation and comprehension. Diagnosing students' strengths and weaknesses. Reviewing and/or summarizing content.

Questions at higher orders of the taxonomy are usually most appropriate for: Encouraging students to think more deeply and critically. Problem solving. Encouraging discussions.

Key Takeways:

Questions influence what and how students study, and what they learn (thus theyprovide an opportunity to focus on whats really worth learning).

Use a judicious mix of lower order and higher order questions in assessments. Higherorder questions can make learning enjoyable and help children's minds to reach their fullpotential. Higher order skills are also critical in today's life and work environment.


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2 : Key principles of Question Making

Welcome to the 2nd chapter of the Question Making Tips series. In this chapter we present some of thekey principles of question making. We will make use of examples to illustrate our points, and clarify howto identify good questions from average or poor ones.

FOCUS ON IMPORTANT CONCEPTS/ SKILLS:

a.) The question should test a skill or concept that is worth understanding:It is important to frame questions that help students to focus on the heart of a discipline or a conceptrather than on trivial aspects, like terminologies or definitions. A good question is based on EnduringUnderstandings or something that is important for the student to know or do. It should test a skill orconcept that is worth understanding. It should not test mere recall. (Enduring Understandings are

understandings that will remain with a student throughout his life.)

Language - Name the parts of speech inGrammar.

This question tests only memory. Justknowing the names of the parts of speechwithout understanding their usage wouldmake this exercise futile.

On the contrary, if a passage with gaps wasgiven and students were asked to fill in theblanks with the most appropriate words togive the passage complete meaning, wewould be testing whether students have

learnt, not only the usage of the Parts ofSpeech, but have also comprehended anunfamiliar passage. See the example below:

Complete the passage with suitable words tomake the passage more meaningful.

Then he ____ on his knees and kissed theKings feet _____. Your _____, please forgiveme, ____ beseeched. I made a _____mistake. The King smiled gently. ____! Whydo you ask ____ forgiveness? You gave me anopportunity to see the problems ____ besiegemy subjects. I am glad I was able to help you."

Science - What is the temperature of the

sun?

This question tests a point which is of littleimportance to know and is just a factual detail,which can be obtained from different sourceswhenever it is required.

In contrast What would happen if the sunwere cold and not hot? tests whetherstudents understand the central role the sunoccupies in their lives as well as stimulatestheir thinking.

It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.

Decouvertes


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b.) The question should really test what it intends to test.

This is an important criterion to keep in mind when framing a question. Let us look at the examples givenbelow:

CLARITY OF A QUESTION:

The question should be clear in terms of being specific, and in simple and clear language (unless theintention is to test comprehension). The problem with the ambiguous question is that the teacher/ testermay have a certain expectation in terms of the length or the level of detail of the answer, which does notcome across clearly. This may lead to some students not doing well on this question as the expectationswere not stated clearly.

State what is expected in clear and unambiguous terms.

Example: Science

Balance the see-saw.

The teacher intended to test anunderstanding of levers, and her expectedcorrect answer was that one of the weights beremoved from the right hand side. However,there are several issues with this question-

a) The question does not specify whetherweights can be removed or added to thelever, and some students might add aweight on the left hand side (or remove 2weights from the right hand side and 1weight from the left hand side)

b) Even if this is not an issue, and students doanswer as per the expectation of theteacher, the question would at most testthe notion of equality, and not anunderstanding of levers, as the lever canbe balanced by moving the weights on theright hand side in towards the fulcrum.

This question could possibly be modified

like this:

Here is a see-saw. A fat man is seated at oneend and a thin man at the other end. How bestshould they seat themselves in order tobalance the see saw?


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CORRECTNESS OF QUESTIONS

The question should be completely free of language and conceptual error as they can affect the testresults negatively and confuse students as well.

MathsIn the question on the right, the question maker expects students to choosethe answer 8, but that is incorrect, as more squares can be formed bycounting the main squares inside which the small squares exist. A student whothinks deeply about this is not likely to select any answer as the correctanswer is not in the options. To correct this, the question and options couldbe worded as:(See the question on the right in the table below.)

AGE APPROPRIATENESS OF LANGUAGE IN QUESTIONS

Use language that is appropriate to the age level of the class in question.

Lets look at the Maths example given on the next page:

Many primary school children would find it hard to understand the question because of the language andterminologies in the question.

An ambiguous question - Write a diaryentry in your notebook.

Here, the question does not mention whichday / time / period / situation, within which thestudent is expected to, write a diary entry. Inother words the question lacks direction andwill consume quite a bit of the students timein trying to decide what to write about.

A more specific question:

Your school took youto see the ScienceExhibition. Write adiary entry in yournotebook, describing

the visi t and yourfeelings therein, in not

more than 200 words.

A question with a conceptual error:

The number of squares formed in the givenfigure is____.A. 4B. 63. 34. 8

A question with no conceptual error:

The maximum number of squares formed inthe given figure is____.A. 8B. 6C. 7D. 10

Question

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.

Francis Bacon


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INTEREST AND STIMULATION

The question should be interesting and thought provoking, so that it stimulates a student to think further

about the question before arriving at a logical conclusion.

Science - A group of students observed the following tree while hiking through a hilly area.

What is the most likely cause for the angle of growth of this tree?A. The tree is reaching toward the afternoon sunlight.B. Water rolling down the hill uprooted the tree.C. Large rocks hit the tree when they rolled down the hill.D. Strong uphill winds have pushed against the tree.

A question such as this forces students to think about what kind of reasons could be there for the tree togrow at such an angle, and make a judgment on why A, B and C are not plausible options. By attempting(and possibly discussing) such a question, the students power of thinking is stretched.

III

Key Takeaways:

In summary, these are the main points to keep in mind when framing a good question. A goodquestion should: test a skill or concept that is worth understanding. test a skill or concept that is worth understanding. really test what it intends to test. be framed in such a way that it states what is expected in clear and unambiguous terms. contain language that is appropriate to the age level of the class in question. be completely free of language and conceptual error as they can affect the test results

negatively confuse students as well. create interest so that it stimulates a student to think further about the question before

arriving at a logical conclusion.

A question with inappropriate languagefor the age level:

Manish writes a 3-digit number. The numberhas a 3 with a place value of 3, a 5 with a placevalue of 500 and the digit 7. Which of thefollowing is Manishs number?

A. 573 B. 357 C. 530 D. 573

A question with appropriate language forthe age level:

Manish writes a 3-digit number. The numberhas 3 in the ones place, 5 in the hundreds placeand 7 in the tens place. Which of the followingis Manishs number?

A. 573 B. 357 C. 530 D. 573


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3 : Different Formats of Questions

Welcome to the 3rd chapter of the Question Making Tips series. In this chapter we present some of thedifferent formats of questions which are commonly used. Different formats are useful for differentpurposes, and in particular contexts. These points will be explained along with examples.

>

The true/false question is a simple statement that is either true or false.

>Constructing True/False Questions- Key Points

Make questions require application of knowledge as much as possible. Always make certain the statement is unequivocally true or false. Develop approximately the same number of true and false statements. Do not consistently make true statements longer than false statements, or vice versa Avoid negative and complicated statements. Words such as "all," "only," "never," and "always" give hints about the answer and are usually false. Use

them only when the question is to measure understanding. Statements with the words "generally" and "usually" tend to be true.

Ask students to justify their answers for statements that are false or provide counter examples todecrease the possibility of guessing.

Example:

True/False Questions:

Advantages Quite easy to frame. Scoring is easy and objective.

Disadvantages Students have a 50 percent chance of

being correct or wrong. May be perceived as an unfair judgment of

learning. Need a larger number of items to

dist inguish stronger and weakerknowledge levels. -

Question framing without asking forjustification

State whether the statements below aretrue or false. Every number ending with 0 is divisible by

2. - True Every multiple of 5 is a also a multiple of

10. - False

Question framing asking for justification

State whether the statements below aretrue or false, and if false, give an exampleto show it is so. Every multiple of 5 is a also a multiple of

10. - False-Example: 15 is divisible by 5, but not by 10

To raise new questions,new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle,requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science

Albert Einstein


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>

Matching questions involve paired lists that require students to correctly identify, or "match," therelationship between the items.

>Constructing Matching Questions- Key Points

Avoid equal-sized lists by including a few "distracter" items in the second (answer) column, todecrease the probability of guessing.

Use it to assess related items like: states and capitals, terms and definitions, tools and uses, and eventsand dates.

>Short-Answer Questions:

Short-answer questions are open-ended questions that require students to construct a response. Short-answer items typically require responses of one word to a few sentences.

"Fill in the blank" and "Completion" questions are examples of short-answer question types.

Matching Questions

Advantages Assesses a large amount of information in a

confined space. If developed carefully, the probability of

guessing is low.

Advantages Short-answer questions reduce the

possibility of guessing.

They are relatively easy to write.

Disadvantages Matching assesses recognition rather than

recall of information.

Disadvantages May end up testing memorization ability Only suitable for questions that can be

answered with short responses.

Fill in the blank.

A mouse started from its hole and went along

the path shown to the cheese.

On the way, it made ________ RIGHT turns?

Complete

Put the correct number in the empty box.

2 = 18

CHEESE


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>

Frame short-answer questions, in such a way that the desired student response is clear. Aim at elicitinga limited number of possible correct responses (or only one) to be able to pinpoint which responsesdeserve higher scores/ indicate a higher ability.

Design for recall of specific names, facts, and basic knowledge. Ensure that the question provides enough information so that students know what constitutes a

correct response. For example, if you discussed four reasons for World War II and you want studentsto name them, be specific on how many reasons constitute a complete answer (i.e., Name two offour/Name any three, etc.).

Ensure that the answer will require only a few words. Write the stem in your own words; that is, dont repeat the words used in the textbook or your class notes. When the stem is an incomplete statement, place the "blank" for the correct choice at the end of the statement. When a negative item is used, emphasize the negative word or phrase, that is, underline, capitalize, or

italicize, for example, "DOES NOT."

>Essay type Questions

An essay question indicates a specific goal. It is a short, clear question that can be answered quickly withstudents knowledge or opinions. A one minute essay question can be used to check understanding,provide feedback, and promote reflection.

>Constructing Essay-type questions- Key Points

Use them to provide reasons for true/false or short answer questions. Use this to get students to state their opinions based on logical reason. Provide guidelines to enable students to compare and contrast clearly.

Illustration of how to increase focus while using essay type questions:Which of the following questions is the most effective in focusing students thought?

A asks for an opinion. It basically asks what the student thinks should be done. Any answer can be acorrect one. B asks for an opinion but also forces the student to recognize some of the implications ofhis/her decision.

Constructing Short Answer Questions- Key Points

Advantages of Essay-type questions Promotes reflection and shows what

students THINK. Checks on background knowledge. Reveals misconceptions. Can be composed quickly.

Example A:What is your opinion of mercy killing(euthanasia)?

Disadvantages of Essay-type questions Does not check in-depth understanding Takes time to correct and poses

subjectivity in evaluation.

Example B:Assisted suicide is legal in some countries. Areyou in favour of, or opposed to, making it legal inour country? In your answer include the impacton various age groups, the medical profession,and the economic situation of the country.

It is error only ,and not truth , that shrinks from inquiry.

Thomas Paine


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The 'Multiple Choice' format will be presented in the next chapter.

Key Takeaways:

Different question types are suited for different purposes and contexts. Understanding thishelps us to choose the appropriate question type in a given situation.

It may be necessary to have a mix of different question types in a test paper to achieve thedesired assessment objective.

We should make sure that the necessary information is provided in the question/ stem, andbe clear about the desired student response.

Finer points should be kept in mind while constructing questions, so that clues are not givenaway inadvertently.

To find the exact answer one must find the exact question.

S. Tobin Webster


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Welcome to the 4th chapter of the Question Making Tips series. In this chapter, we present an extensionof the different formats of questions presented in the previous chapter. Multiple-Choice is a form ofassessment in which respondents are asked to select one or more choices from a list. Writing goodMultiple Choice Questions (MCQs) requires specialised expertise.

>

Multiple choice items consist of two parts: (1.) a stem and (2.) a set of options.

The stem is the beginning part of the item that presents the item as a problem to be solved, a questionasked of the respondent, or an incomplete statement to be completed, and contains any other relevantinformation. The options are the possible answers that the respondent can choose from, with the correct

answer called the key and the incorrect answers called distracters.

For advanced items, such as an applied knowledge item, the stem can consist of multiple parts. The stem caninclude authentic material such as a graph, a table, or a detailed description which has multiple elements to it.In such cases, the stem ends with a lead-in question explaining how the respondent must answer.

>Advantages

MCQs can be designed with a diagnostic end in mind, in order to find out whether specific areas of agiven subject are adequately known, or in order to detect misconceptions. This can provide feedbackon the effectiveness of instruction.

MCQs can be scored quickly and reliably using computer systems (or even manually for smallnumbers) as compared to other question types. Also, the wrong answer choices can provide valuableinformation about how students are thinking. For example, a teacher can give a 5-10 question MCQtest on a topic to a class of 40 students, and use the data powerfully to gain insights about theunderstanding levels in her class.

MCQs can be set at different cognitive levels. For example, a question may simply challenge astudent's ability to recall facts, while another may test a student's ability to apply factual knowledge togiven situations; or, at a higher level, a question may test a student's ability to evaluate giveninformation.

Tests made up of MCQs can provide a better coverage of content than essay-type questions, thusbroadening the scope of the test.

MCQs provide an opportunity to assess the abilities of students with writing difficulties in a fairmanner.

Disadvantages

Challenging to write higher-level questions Cannot test ability to organize and present knowledge Time consuming to construct a good question with good distracters (wrong answer choices)

Multiple-Choice Questions

4 : Making Multiple choice questions

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whethera man is wise by his questions.

Naguib Mahfouz


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>

Question stem

o When the stem is an incomplete statement, place the "blank" for the correct choice at the end ofthe statement.

o When a negative item is used, emphasize the negative word or phrase; that is, underline,capitalize, or italicize, for example, "DOES NOT."

o Avoid grammatical clues to the correct answer such as "a" or "an" as the last word of the stem orplural verbs that match plural choices.

o If all responses begin with common words or phrases, then place these commonalities at the endof the stem.

o Write the stem such that the students don't have to read all the choices before they can determinethe question.

o When several stems have the same set of choices, consider using a matching question.

o Phrase stems as clearly as possible-confusing questions can generate wrong answers fromstudents who do understand the material.

Question choices or responses

o Include at least four, but not more than five, possible responses.o Provide reasonably plausible choices.o Only one response should be correct.o Omit responses that are obviously wrong.o List possible responses in a column easier to read and answer.o Avoid patterns in placing correct answers (such as having "C" correct in more than half of the

questions).o If a hierarchy exists within the responses, place them in ascending order (e.g., numerical

responses in numerical order, years in chronological order).o Use "none of the above" and "all of the above" with appropriate discretion. They can give away the

answer or cause confusion, if all alternative choices aren't worded very carefully.o Avoid language that is similar or identical to important words in the stem.o Keep the option lengths the same and parallel in grammatical structure. Too much detail or a

different grammatical structure can give the answer away.o Make the distracters incorrect but plausible, preferably based on common errors that students

make.o Do not use negatively-stated stems, as the resulting double-negative is confusing.

Constructing Multiple-choice Questions- Key Points

An average question:

In an experiment to find out, whether clothes dry faster on a hotter day, what should be one ofthe constant variables?1. the outside temperature2. the surface area of the cloth3. the time for which the cloth is hung

4. the length of the clothesline


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The above questions are targeted at the level of Class 6. The 2nd question is much better than the 1st one,because it can be answered even if the terminology is not clear (not important at this level), and is easier tounderstand because of the context and the use of figures. The 1st question requires the student tounderstand terms like 'constant variable' and 'surface area' which students at this level may notunderstand- and they may be unnecessarily penalized for not understanding these terms even if theypossess the required understanding.

A good question:

Vijay wants to find out whether clothes dry faster on a hot day. He takes apiece of cloth, folds it (as shown on the right) and notes down the time ittakes to dry.

Which of the following experiments should he set up next (using thesame cloth) to find out what he wanted to know?

300c

A. B. C. D.

300c 400c 400c 300c

Key Takeaways:

First of all, decide exactly what you want to test. Eliminate as many ambiguities as possible. Create distracters based firmly on what you want to test, keeping in mind the uniformity in

their form and the length. Make sure that the wrong answers can be explained justifiably. Be prepared to give feedback for the correct answer, explaining why it's right.

I keep Six Honest serving- men (They taught me all I knew);Their names are What and why and When, And How and Where And Who .

Rudyard Kipling


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5 : Using passage in Hindi


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Information can tell us everything .It has all the answers. But they are answers to questionswe have not asked , and which doubtless don't even arise.

Jean Baudrillard


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In the following pages, there are 3 or 4 questions given in each subject. Please rank these questions frombest to poorest (on a scale of 1 to 4 or 1 to 3 depending on the number of questions in that subject), where1 indicates the best question, and 4 indicates the poorest question.

6 : Question Rating Exercise

Q1- Class 8

Someone who is "dreamy" is likely to be _______________.A. inattentiveB. absent-mindedC. unconsciousD. withdrawn

ENGLISH

Q2 - Class 7

Choose the part of the sentence which shows a MISTAKE.

OptionA. The length of my nailsB. were too longC. to leave themD. untrimmed

The length of my nails were too long to leave them untrimmed.

A. B. C. D.

Q3 - Class 6

Choose the sentence WITHOUT AN ERROR.

OptionA. I went for shopping and enjoyed.B. I went for shopping and enjoyed myself.C. I went shopping and enjoyed myself.D. I went for a shopping and enjoyed.

Q4 - Class 6

Which of the following is an adjective?A. octopusB. strong

C. angrily D. king

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Rank _____

Rank _____

Rank _____

Rank _____


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Q1- Class 5

100 = 50

The number in the empty box isA. 2B. 150C. 500D. 5000

MATHS

Q2 - Class 4

In which of these numbers is the place value of 6 the greatest?A. 645B. 306C. 163D. 69

Q3 - Class 8

Which of these numbers is not a rational number?

A. 2

B.

C.

D.

78100

43

12

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It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers

James Thurber

Q4 - Class 9

Which of these is a negative integer?(6)A. 3

6B. (3)

6C. (3)

6D. (3)

Rank _____

Rank _____

Rank _____

Rank _____


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Q1 - Class 4

The movement of the planets in the solar system is calledA. revolutionB. rotationC. spinningD. orbit

SCIENCE

Q2 - Class 5

When we inhale, we breathe in air into the lungs.What do we breathe out when we exhale?A. only oxygen gas

B. only carbon dioxide gasC. air that has more oxygen than inhaled airD. air that has more carbon dioxide than inhaled air

?AIR

Inhale Exhale

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Q3 - Class 3/4

Each of the three magnets has beendipped into the substance below it.Which of them could be coffee powder?

A. Substance 1B. Substance 2C. Substance 3D. None

Substance 3Substance 1 Substance 2

Q4 - Class 5/6

Jayant is eating his lunch. In which organs does the digestion of food take place?A. only food pipe and stomach

B. only stomach and large intestineC. mouth, stomach, and small intestineD. stomach, liver, and small intestine

Mouth

Small intestineLarge intestine

Liver Stomach

Food pipe

Rank _____

Rank _____

Rank _____

Rank _____


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Every clarification breeds new question.

Arthur Bloch

SOCIAL STUDIESQ1 - Class 5/6

Which of these behaviours of Ravi can be considered as a violation of his fundamental dutiestowards the nation?A. telling a joke about the game of hockeyB. fighting with children of other communitiesC. respecting and protecting public propertiesD. filing a case in court against his neighbour

Q2 - Class 9

In the Modern historical period, popular theatre often contributedsignificantly as a means to communicate with the masses. Given below is the

gist of the play Kichaka Vadha - an episode from the epic Mahabharata.Read it carefully and answer question.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, this play had drawn huge attention in popular Marathitheatres and was performed throughout Bombay and Deccan until the British Governmentbanned it in January 1910.

What is the MOST likely reason for the British Government to have banned this play?

A. The play was suspected to whip up nationalist feelings in the masses by portraying Draupadias Mother India, being tormented by the British in the form of Kichaka.

B. The play influenced Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders of the Indian National Congress tospread their mass movement of 'Quit India' in the western part of India.

C. To prevent the possibility of violence and traffic jams in Bombay and other cities asmythological plays attracted large crowds during the performance.

D. Such plays were thought to harm the secular fabric of India by propagating only Hindu beliefsand ignoring the sentiment of other religious groups.

During the last year of exile, the Pandavas and their wifeDraupadi were in the city of Viratanagara. According to thestipulated condition, if they were discovered during thisperiod of disguise they would be required to spend another12 years in the forest. During their stay at Viratanagara,Kichaka, the brother of queen Sudesena, had returned tothe city and was attracted to Draupadi.Kichaka requestedher to be sent to his harem and Yudhishtira (the eldest of thefive Pandavas) then faced the dilemma of revealing hisidentity or Draupadi's degradation. The dilemma wasresolved by Bhima's decision to kill Kichaka secretly.

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23

SOCIAL STUDIESQ3 - Class 7

The Andaman islands, inhabited by tribals for centuries, was firstoccupied in 1789. An unhealthy climate and harbour maintenancecosts forced abandonment by 1796. It was re-occupied in 1858,when the first batch of 200 revolutionaries of the Sepoy Mutinywas shipped to the Cellular Jail in the Andamans.

Question is related to the Cellular Jail in the Andamans.

'It was re-occupied when, in March 1858, the first batch of 200revolutionaries of the Sepoy Mutiny was shipped...'. What was the reasonfor sending the rebel sepoys to Andaman?

A. to extract and process the natural resources of Andaman islandsB. to keep the rebels away from the freedom struggle in a far-off and isolated placeC. to bring civilisation into the islands which were inhabited mainly by the primitive tribesD. to train the rebels for fighting wars against the Japanese in the World War II during the 1940s

Q1 - Class

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Q3 - Class

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A. UH A' } B. A' C' } C. UH B' } D. B' C' }

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24

Rating

1

2

3

4

Q.No

1

2

3

4

ExpertComments

Thequestionteststheunderstandingofdivisionquitewell.Astudentneedstohave

areasonablydevelopedsenseofnumberstoanswercorrectly.

Thequestionteststheunderstandingofplacevalue.Howeverthethewaythe

optionsareframed,studentsmayjustpickupthegreatestnumberwhichalsoturns

outtobethecorrect.Anoptionlike864(anumbergreaterthan603)butwitha

lowerplacevalueof6,wouldimprovethequestion.

Thequestiontestsunderstandingofrationalnumbers.Itistheonlyoptionnotof

theforma/b,whereaandbareintegers.Also,toanswerthisquestioncorrectly,

oneactuallyhastorecallthat2isanirrationalnumber.

Noneoftheoptionsiscorrect.ExceptforB,noneofthenumbersareintegersand6

(-3)isapositiveinteger.Thequestionmakerintendedtoaskwhichoftheseisa

negativenumberandtheintendedanswerwasA.

Rating

1

2

3

4

Q.No

2

3

4

1

ExpertComments

Thisquestiontestsacommonchapterstudentshavewithsubject-verb

agreement.TheytendtomisstheerrorinB,mainlybecausetheydonotrealisethat

lengthisthesubjectandnotnails.Suchstudentsmaybehabituatedto

identifyingonlyasingleword,usuallyatangibleobject,asasubject.

Thisquestionisquitegoodasitclearlypointstoacolloquialinfluenceinspoken

language.However,optionsAandDdonotfurthercaptureotherpossible

difficulties.ReplacingDwithIwenttodoshoppingandenjoyedwouldprobably

enhancethediscerningcapacityofthisquestion.

Astudentmaynotbeabletoanswerthisbutactuallyhaveafunctional

understandingofadjectiveswhichisfarmoreimportant.Beingabletouselanguage

correctlyismoreimportantthanjustknowingterms.

Contextisabsentandalltheoptionsseemmoreorlessbecorrect.Aclearanswer

shouldemerge,otherwiseaquestionbecomessubjective. ENGLISH

MATHS

SCIENCE

ExpertComments

Rating

1

2

3

4

Q.No

2

3

4

1

ExpertComments

Ittestsaknownmisconceptionamongstudentsanddoesitquitespecifically.The

optionsareclearandsuccinct.

Teststhesimpleconceptofmagnetismatthisclasslevelquiteproperly.Cmaybea

give-awaythoughasitstandsoutamongtheotheroptionsvisually.

Theframingoftheoptionsisambiguousandthereisapossibilityoftworight

answershere-BandC.

WhichparticularmovementhasnotbeenclearlyspecifiedandanyoneofAtoCcan

bechosenasananswerhere.


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25

Rating

1

Q.NoExpertComments

S}M|hxUgS

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2

3

3

2

1

Rating

1

2

3

Q.No

3

2

1

ExpertComments

Thequestiontestsadeeperunderstandingofhowhistoricaleventsarerelatedto

eachother,andOptionCcoulddistractstudentswhodontgettheaimofthe

questionandmightlatchontothetrivialconnectionofprimitivetribes.

Thequestionideaisexcellent.OneflawisthatthewordBritishwhichappearsin

thequestionstem,hasbeenrepeatedinthecorrectanswer,givinganunnecessary

cluetostudents.

Thoughtheideaofthequestionisagoodone,theoption-fightingwithchildrenof

othercommunitiescouldbeambiguous.Ifthefightisanormalchildrensfightand

thechildrenjusthappentobefromdifferentcommunities,itdoesnotbecomea

violationofafundamentalduty.

HINDI

SOCIALSTUDIES

ExpertComments


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Special recognition to15 teachers on question quality

All contestants participating in the Question-Making competition 2009,

will receive a certificate of participation.

Awards and Prizes

Best participating awardsto 5 schools

Educational trip to Singaporefor 5 teachers selected foreach subject

Best performance school awardsat National & Zonal levels.

For any query or feedback about this competition, write to us at orcall 09990499504 (contact person- Mr. Atul Pandey), 011-26462264,011-40584952

[email protected]

26

The journey to best question making begins ... All the best!!

LastdateforsubmittingquestionsSeptember4th,2009


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