Description
This collection is useful for all Students who has multiple choice questions
Study Set Content:
10 Common Types of Multiple Choice Questions and How to
Solve Them
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Is the answer B, C, or all of the above? Multiple choice? Sometimes it seems more like
multiple guess!
When multiple choice tests are more like guessing games, it’s time to figure out how
they’re designed. Let’s look at the 10 common types of multiple choice questions and
how to decode them. Use each of strategies we recommend to help you succeed.
1. The look-alike set of options
Definition
All the options look very similar.
Example
The highest correlation of IQ scores between family members has been
found for
A. identical twins reared apart
B. identical twins reared together
C. fraternal twins reared together
D. fraternal twins reared apart
Strategy
Identify the differences between each of the options and eliminate the
incorrect ones.
Each of the options is set up in the same format:
[type of twin] [how the twins were reared]
You can eliminate options by looking at each part.
•
What type of twins should have the highest correlation in IQ
scores?
You may not know the answer to this if you
haven’t taken any
Psychology courses. If you think the answer is “identical twins”,
get rid of options C and D. If you think the answer is “fraternal
twins”, get rid of options A and B.
•
How should the twins be reared to have the highest correlation in
IQ scores?
From the remaining options, decide between “reared apart” and
“reared together”. This makes the multiple choice question easier
to solve.
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2. Flipping the text of the definition with the term
Definition
Identify the key term based on a definition.
Example
A(n) ______ variable can be any factor, other than the variable being
manipulated, in the experiment that might affect the dependent variable.
A. interval
B. correlational
C. independent
D. confounding
Strategy
Define the terms in each of the options.
3. The negative option
Definition
Look for the wrong answers instead of looking for the matching answers.
These questions often use these words: not, except, never.
Example
Anxiety disorders are characterized by all of these symptoms except
A. panic attacks
B. free-floating anxiety
C. a split between affect and cognition
D. inconvenience in living
Strategy
Turn the question into a true or false prompt and eliminate options
True or false, anxiety disorders are characterized by:
A. panic attacks
B. free-floating anxiety
C. a split between affect and cognition
D. inconvenience in living
Based on this new question, the false answer is the correct option.
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4. The multiple option
Definition
More than one option could be correct.
Watch out for: [option] and [option], some but not all of the above, all of
the above.
Example
One limitation of the dispositional approach to personality is that
A. people behave in very similar ways in different situations
B. the approach is better at describing than at explaining personality
C. A and D
D. it overemphasizes environmental factors
Strategy
Read each of the options and check if they are correct.
If more than one option is correct, the answer could be a combination of
options.
In this example, if option A is correct, remember to check if option D is
also correct.
5. Two columns of options
Definition
Fill in the blanks in the form of multiple choice.
Example
Troia has a __________ identity (her unique characteristics) and a
_______ identity (characteristics that make her part of a larger whole).
A. personal; group
B. social; personal
C. group; social
D. group; personal
Strategy
Answer the question as if it were two separate multiple choice questions.
Pick one of the columns to answer first and then eliminate the wrong
options. This will give you less options to pick from for the rest of the
question.
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6. Statistics from a study
Definition
Identify the key facts and figures from your class readings.
Example
According to the results of one study, the correlation between estimates
of European ancestry and various measures of IQ among African-
Americans was
A. virtually zero
B. around 0.50
C. around -0.75
D. near a perfect 1.00
Strategies
Anticipate these questions before the test. When you’re studying:
1. Summarize the key findings from your readings and lecture
notes:
•
What was the purpose of the study?
•
What did the researchers do?
•
What were the results?
•
What do the results mean?
2. Read the abstract and summary of the research paper.
7. Degrees of change from a study
Definition
Apply concepts in different situations and predict the outcomes.
Often includes a focus on organs, biological systems, diseases,
processes, etc. All of these can be turned into this type of multiple choice
question. The topics are taken out of their usual context and you have to
predict what will happen.
Example
Mandy has no rods in her retina. Cliff has both cones and rods in his
retina. Mandy and Cliff both go into a dark movie theatre after walking in
the bright sunshine. While in the dark, Mandy will
A. increase her sensitivity to light faster than Cliff
B. increase her sensitivity to light more slowly than Cliff
C. eventually develop greater sensitivity to light than Cliff will
D. eventually develop less sensitivity to light than Cliff will
Strategy
Identify how a concept is applied in different contexts
Answer: What happens if…?
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8. Sequence of events
Definition
Select the correct order.
Example
In vision, sensory information takes which of the following routes
A. receptors, sensory nerves, medulla, cerebral cortex
B. sensory nerves, receptors, cerebrum, cerebral cortex
C. receptors, sensory nerves, thalamus, cerebral cortex
D. sensory nerves, receptors, hippocampus, cerebral cortex
Strategy
Draw flowcharts to remember the order of events.
Watch out for: processes, timelines, pathways
9. Rephrased as a scenario
Definition
Recognize a key term described in an example.
Example
Indiana Jones looks at the ground near his feet. He hears a hissing
sound and sees a long thin shape with scales. From this information
only, he determines the object is a snake. He is using _________
processing.
A. ecological
B. top-down
C. sequential
D. bottom-up
Strategy
Create examples for every key term in your readings and lecture notes
Applying the definitions will improve your understanding and prepare you
for these multiple choice questions
10. Degree of applicability
Definition
Pick the best option based on the scenario.
These questions often use words like most, major, main, least, least
likely, best, probably
Example
Dr. Johnson studies how juries make decisions as a group. She is most
likely a ________ psychologist.
A. quantitative
B. social
C. clinical
D. biological
Strategy
Compare and contrast key terms
A lot of terms can be similar, but you want to know how they are
different. These differences will help you identify why the terms are
unique and how they can be applied.
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Ready for the next step?
A great way to practice for multiple choice tests and exams is to create your own
multiple choice questions. This strategy will help you identify the key ideas from your
notes and readings.
Create a multiple choice question based on one of the sample readings. After creating
your question, answer each of following:
1. What type of multiple choice question did you create?
2. What strategies will you use to answer the multiple choice question?
Sample Reading
– Ebonics
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Although there are many stigmatized variants of American English, including
Appalachian English, Dutchified Pennsylvania English, Hawaiian Creole, Gullah, and
emergent Hispanic Englishes, the most stigmatized is African-American Vernacular
English (AAVE), also called Ebonics. As we noted earlier, AAVE is simply a variant of
Standard English, neither better nor worse than any other. Further, from Mark Twain
and William Faulkner to Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, from George Gershwin to
Public Enemy and Run DMC, Ebonics has had deep influences on American art,
speech, fiction and music.
Since the 1970’s, controversy over Ebonics has frequently been politicized. For
example, in the mid-
1990’s, the Oakland School Board in California encouraged its
teachers to make use of Ebonics in teaching Standard English (Monaghan 1997). Many
Americans misunderstood the Oakland School Board as encouraging the teaching of
Ebonics, and this misunderstanding ignited a national furor. A North Carolina legislator
denounced Ebonics as “absurd,” an Atlanta Constitution editorial referred to “the Ebonic
plague,” and laws banning the teaching of Ebonics were introduced in several state
legislatures (Matthew 1997; Sanchez 1997)
Sample Reading
– Perception
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Perception is the process through which sensations are interpreted, using
knowledge and understanding of the world, so that they become meaningful
experiences. Thus, perception is not a passive process of simply absorbing and
decoding incoming sensations. If i
t were, people’s understanding of the environment
would be a constantly changing and confusing mosaic of light and colour. Instead, our
brains take sensations and create a coherent world, often by filling in missing
information and using past experience to give meaning to what we see, hear, or touch.
For example, the raw sensations coming from the stimuli in Figure 5.1 convey only the
information that there is a series of intersecting lines. But your perceptual system
automatically interprets this image as a rectangle (or window frame) lying on its side.
__________________________________________________________________
1
This passage is taken from Nanda, S., & Warms, R. L. (2009).
Culture counts: a concise introduction to
cultural anthropology
. Boston: Cengage Learning. It is being used for educational purposes only.
2
This passage is taken from page 160 of Bernstein, D., Penner, L. A., Clarke-Stewart, A., & Roy, E.
(2012).
Psychology
(9
th
ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson. It is being used for educational purposes only.
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More resources for multiple choice questions
Do you want to practice and discuss your multiple choice exams? Book an appointment with an
Instructor:
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/appointments-undergraduate
Check out these resources to get more help and information on multiple choice exam strategies:
Multiple Choice Tests
– Cornell University
http://lsc.cornell.edu/multiple-choice-tests-2/
Multiple Choice Exams
– University of Guelph
https://guides.lib.uoguelph.ca/MultipleChoice
Multiple choice exams
– The University of Queensland Australia
http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/learning/multiple-choice-exams
Looking for more learning strategies?
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/
