MultipleChoice Items

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Multiple-Choice Items

• Chapter 8

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Five Skills to Learn From Ch. 8

• Identify the advantages and limitations of
  multiple-choice items
• Identify qualities desired in multiple-choice
  items
• Evaluate multiple-choice items for these
  qualities
• Identify variations of multiple-choice items
• Determine the optimal number of options of be
  included within a multiple-choice

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Please identify the stem, options or
alternatives, distracter, or foils in the
following multiple-choice item. Provide reasons
for your choosing.

• Directions For each sentence, mark on your
  answer sheet the letter identifying the line that
  contains an adjective. Mark E if the sentence
  contains no adjective
• A Krueger National
• B Park is a
• C game reserve
• D in South Africa.
• E (No adjective)

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Advantages of Multiple-Choice Items

• 1. MC items allow a test to obtain a more
  adequate sampling of content.
• What are the two reasons by the author to support
  this advantage?
• 2. MC items tend to structure the problem to be
  addressed more effectively.
• What does this advantage really mean? Please
  explain.
• 3. MC items can be quickly scored.
• Responses to MC items are objectively scored.
• 8.1 Apply What You Are Learning (page 87)

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Limitations of Multiple-Choice Items

• 1. MC items are somewhat susceptible to guessing.
• 2. MC items often must indirectly measure
  targeted behaviors.
• What does this limitation really mean? Please
  explain.
• 3. MC items are time-consuming to construct.
• 8.2 Apply What You AR Learning (page 89)

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Identifying Qualities Desired in MC Items

• Does this item measure the specific skill?
• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• Rule given smaller objects within space in orbit
  around a substantially larger object, use the
  relative height of orbits to identify which
  object is traveling fasters in its orbit.

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Identifying Qualities Desired in MC Items

• Example 8.1
• The artificial satellite with the higher orbital
  speed
• A is the most recently launched satellite.
• B is the satellite in the higher orbit.
• C is the satellite in the lower orbit.
• D is the satellite with in orbit closest to the
  equator.

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Identifying Qualities Desired in MC Items

• Is the level of reading skill required by this
  item below the students ability?
• Does the stem clearly present the problem to be
  addressed?
• 8.3 Apply What You AR Learning (page 89)

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4. Are all options parallel in type of content?

• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• Ganymede and Callisto are moons of Jupiter with
  approximately equal mass. Ganymede orbits 1.1
  million miles above Jupiter, whereas Callisto
  orbits 1.9 million miles above the planet.
  Ganymede has
• A the faster orbital speed.
• B more impact craters.
• C will fall out of orbit sooner.

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4 Are all options parallel in type of content?

• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• Ganymede and Callisto are moons of Jupiter with
  approximately equal mass. Ganymede orbits 1.1
  million miles above Jupiter, whereas Callisto
  orbits 1.9 million miles above the planet. Which
  noon has the faster orbital speed?
• A the faster orbital speed.
• B more impact craters.
• C will fall out of orbit sooner.

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5. Does the options avoid repetitive words?

• What is your comment on the following MC item?
• Physics is
• the science that deals with the structure of
  matter
• the science that deals with the composition,
  structure, and properties of substances.
• the science that is more concerned with solid
  than liquids.

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6. Is extraneous content excluded from the stem?

• What does this desired quality mean?
• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• A symphony orchestra includes many instruments.
  They can classified into strings, brass,
  woodwinds, and percussion sections. The
  percussion section
• includes the chimes.
• includes timpani which can be tuned to different
  pitches.
• involves drums as well as other instruments.
• is where you place the glockenspiel.
• All above.

8.4 Apply What You Are Learning (page 90)
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6. Is extraneous content excluded from the stem?

• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• Within a symphony orchestra, the percussion
  section includes all of the following instrument
  except
• bassoon.
• chimes.
• drum.
• glockenspiel.
• timpani.

8.4 Apply What You Are Learning (page 90)
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Identifying Qualities Desired in MC Items

• 7. Are adjectives or adverbs emphasized when
  they reverse or significantly alter the meaning
  of a stem or option?
• What does this quality mean? Why is it important?
  How might it affect students taking the test?

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8. Is Each Distracter Plausible?

• Why does it matter?
• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• In baseball statistics, which of the following
  would represent the highest batting average?
• A. .000
• B. .300
• C. 100
• D. 1,000

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8. Is Each Distracter Plausible?

• Lets evaluate the following MC item
• Which one of the following instruments uses reeds
  to made sound?
• A. Oboe
• B. French horn
• C. Glockenspiel
• D. The conductor
• E. None of the above

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9. Is the Grammar in Each Option Consistent with
the Stem?

• Look analyze this example
• In item response theory, the one-parameter model
  assumes that each test item
• A. discriminates equally well.
• B. students perform equally well.
• C. students core the same across items.
• D. guessing affects all items the same.

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Identifying Qualities Desired in MC Items

• 10. Does the item exclude options equivalent to
  all of the above and none of the above?
• How will all of the above and none of the
  above affect students thinking pattern?

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11. Unless another order is more logical, are
options arranged alphabetically?

• What is the rationale for doing so?
• Which one of the following instruments uses reeds
  to made sound?
• A. Oboe
• B. French horn
• C. Glockenspiel
• D. The conductor
• E. None of the above

8.5 Apply What You Are Learning (Page 93)
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Practice Applying These Desired Qualities to MC
Items
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Variations of MC Items

• Options Representing Ranges of Value
• Why is the following MC item such an item?
• 23 x 64
• A. Less than 500
• B Between 500 and 800
• C Between 800 and 1,100
• D Between 1,100 and 1,400
• E Greater than 1,400

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Variations of MC Items

• Matching Items
• Why does matching items belong to MC items?
• Explain the example on page 98.
• Ranking of Options
• What do exactly students do in responding to a
  ranking of options?

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Variations of MC Items

• Interpretive Test Exercises
• What is your personal experience with
  interpretive test items?
• Do you still consider it MC items? Why? (Please
  refer to the example on page 100).

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Variations of MC Items

• Optimal Number of Choices
• Do you think the following tests need more or
  less the same time to complete? Defend you
  answer.
• A 30 items with two-option for each.
• B 20 items with three-option for each.
• C 15 items with four-option for each.
• D 12 items with five-option for each.