October 28, 2024, by Laura Nicholson

Moodle Quizzes: Writing Effective Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

Introduction

And here it is, the final post to complete our Moodle quiz month on the blog. We’ve covered top Hints and Tips, Certainty-Based Marking, and Adaptive mode. This post is all about writing multiple-choice quiz questions.

Writing high-quality multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is a meticulous process that demands significant time and effort. Building a comprehensive question bank is essential, as in theory, the reliability of a quiz increases with the number of questions it contains. A longer quiz generally yields more reliable results, as a few incorrect answers on a lengthy assessment will have less impact on overall scores than they would on a shorter one. However, overly lengthy quizzes can lead to student fatigue, potentially compromising the accuracy of responses; it’s a careful balance!

Either way, one key piece of advice is to mix it up. Although this blog post is just going to focus on writing MCQs, the most effective quizzes blend different question formats. This approach ensures that student weaknesses in one type of question do not disproportionately affect the overall result.

Key Considerations for Writing MCQs

Phrasing Questions Carefully

Absolutes like ‘always’ and never’ leave no room for exceptions, and in real-world scenarios, very few things are absolute. So, it is advisable to avoid absolutes to prevent easy identification of incorrect options.

Question: Which of the following statements about the Earth’s atmosphere is correct?

A) The atmosphere never contains water vapour.

B) The atmosphere always has the same composition.

C) The atmosphere sometimes contains dust particles.

D) None of the gases in the atmosphere are harmful.

Utilise Effective Distractors

Choose distractors that reflect common misconceptions or errors and ensure each option. Ensure that each option is plausible to maintain challenge. For example, in the question below, highly unlikely responses such as Helium or Gold were omitted because including such responses would have diminished the effectiveness of the question.

Question: Which element is the most abundant in the Earth’s crust?

A) Oxygen

B) Hydrogen

C) Carbon

D) Nitrogen

Clarity in Questioning

Ensure that questions are clear and understandable without needing to consider the distractors. This clarity helps students focus on the content rather than being confused by the wording. The following question has not been written with this guidance in mind, and as you can see, it could lead to confusion.

Question: Photosynthesis…

A) Is the process whereby organisms exchange gases, especially oxygen and carbon dioxide, with the environment.

B) Involves the transformation of light energy into chemical energy.

C) Is the process of a seed developing into a plant.

D) is the method used by some organisms to produce energy without oxygen.

Writing the question in this way makes it difficult to know the focus of the stem without seeing the distractors. It can also lead to confusion as to whether more than one answer could be possible. General guidance is to state the stem as a direct question rather than as an incomplete statement.

A much better way to write this question would be,

Question: What process involves the transformation of light energy into chemical energy?

A) Respiration

B) Photosynthesis

C) Germination

D) Fermentation

Now, it is possible to understand what the question is asking without seeing the range of distractors first.

Minimise Opportunities for Guessing

Use the alternatives none of the above and all of the above sparingly. If these options are used too frequently, students may start to predict answers and rely on quiz-taking strategies rather than knowledge. It can also lead students to guess if they recognise one or two correct answers, even if they are unsure about the others.

Avoid repetition: Include in the stem any word(s) that might otherwise be repeated in each alternative.

Poor practice

The capital city of France is:

A) located in the northern part of the country.

B) located in the southern part of the country.

C) located in the eastern part of the country.

D) located in the western part of the country.

Better practice:

The capital city of France is located in the

A) northern part of the country.

B) southern part of the country.

C) eastern part of the country.

D) western part of the country.

Align with Learning Objectives

Each question should connect clearly to a specific learning objective. A challenging quiz that relies solely on obscure facts can hinder student performance.

Promote Higher Order Thinking Skills

To explain the points more easily, the multiple-choice quiz questions (MCQs) used in these examples all focus on basic recall. However, it is possible to design questions that engage higher-level cognitive skills. For instance, rather than asking for a definition, present a scenario that requires applying the concept.

Some ways to make your questions more challenging:

• Add context: Use case studies that require the application of principles or rules.
• Encourage judgement: Ask students to determine the’most appropriate’ or’most important’ option from a selection.
• Use data: Include tables, charts, or graphs to evaluate students’ analytical abilities.

Avoid Negative Wording

Steer clear of negative stems in questions, as they can confuse students. If negatives must be used, it is best to highlight them through formatting (such as bolding) to ensure they stand out because negatives can be easily missed during situations where students may be expected to read through content quickly, such as during quizzes.

Additionally, processing negative statements requires more cognitive effort, which can distract students from demonstrating their actual knowledge.

Question: Which of these is not an example of a renewable energy source?

A) Bioenergy
B) Wind power
C) Coal
D) Hydropower

Be Mindful of Length

Keep answer choices concise, as longer options might appear more credible to students. The best answer should not necessarily be the longest one.

Question: Which of the following descriptions best explains the significance of the Great Barrier Reef?

A) The Great Barrier Reef is a small lake in Australia.
B) The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,300 kilometres and home to diverse marine life, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It plays a crucial role in marine biodiversity and supports a wide range of species.
C) The Great Barrier Reef is a desert located in the middle of Australia.
D) The Great Barrier Reef is a mountain range in Queensland.

Avoid Giveaways

Try to ensure that the use of indefinite articles (like ‘a’ or ‘an’) does not reveal the correct answer. So, avoid using “an” before a word starting with a vowel sound, as it can give away the answer. Likewise, try not to infer that the answer is plural in the stem and then only provide only one plural option among the responses.

Text Analysis Tools for Bias Detection

Several tools can help you to check complex language or bias in any quiz questions you have written:

Grammarly or Hemingway: Analyses readability and will flag complex sentences and unclear language that could confuse quiz-takers.

AI tools such as Copilot: These can be used to evaluate questions for potential biases. For instance, prompt it to analyse a question for gender or cultural biases. The response may not always be accurate and may need some human interpretation, but it could be a useful starting point for reflecting on your question structure.

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