Christian F. Fernando

Short-Answer Questions Short-answer questions are “constructed-response,” or open-ended questions that require students to create an answer. 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. Advantages: Short-answer questions assess unassisted recall of information, rather than recognition. Compared to essay questions, they are relatively easy to write. Disadvantages: Short-answer items are only suitable for questions that can be answered with short responses. Additionally, because students are free to answer any way they choose, short-answer questions can lead to difficulties in scoring if the question is not worded carefully. It’s important when writing short-answer questions that the desired student response is clear. Most Appropriate For: Questions that require student recall over recognition. Examples include assessing the correct spelling of items, or in cases when it is desirable to ensure that the students have committed the information to memory (medical students, for example, will require recall of information more than recognition by the nature of their jobs). Bloom’s Levels: Knowledge Comprehension Application Short-Answer Questions Examples: Here is an example of a poorly executed short-answer question: • Evaluation designed to assess a program as it develops is ______________________. This question does a poor job of specifying exactly what information it is looking for. It’s conceivable that students could create any number of answers to this question. Changing the question to “The type of evaluation designed to assess a program as it develops is called ___________” creates a more accurate question, clearly asking students to respond with the name of an evaluation type. Here is a better example of the short-answer question type: • The thin membrane that separates the inner ear from the external ear is commonly called the _____________. This question is very clear in its desired response. In addition, it assesses recall of knowledge-level processing. Short-answer question types can also include asking for definitions and short lists. For example: • Briefly define insectivore. • List the three states that comprise the west coast of the continental United States. Short Answer Questions Practice Activity: Read the descriptions of the types of content to be assessed. Then decide if short-answer questions are the best choice foe evaluating student mastery. Click the "Yes" or "No" buttons to indicate if you would select short-answer in these cases. You are a biology teacher who wants to ensure that your students have a clear understanding of plant structure. You will be holding labs for the rest of the semester that will require students have the basics of plant anatomy mastered. Are short-answer questions the best choice in this situation? Yes No You are a media studies professor who wants to assess your students' knowledge of the key features of "yellow" journalism. Are short-answer questions the best choice in this situation? Yes No