Setting multiple-choice questions:
- Carefully check that all numbering is
meticulously correct.
- Start each multiple-choice question with
either a direct question or the stem of an incomplete statement, either of which should
stand on its own and not need clarification, be as short as possible and be clearly
worded.
- Use negatives like not only very
infrequently, and, if you do, underline it.
- Include only one correct or clearly best
answer.
- Make all alternative responses grammatically
consistent with the stem, starting for example with a verb.
- Make all alternatives equal in length.
Because correct answers often require qualification and precision it's easy to
inadvertently make the correct answer longer than the others.
- Make all incorrect answers plausible. Do not
include responses that are silly, absurd or unbelievable.
- Put the correct answer in each position
equally often. Don't make (a) the correct answer more often!
- Never make the answer to a question
dependent on the correct answer to another.
- Avoid absolute terms like never, all,
none, always, ; they usually signal an incorrect response.
- Similarly avoid qualifiers like often,
seldom, sometimes, typically, normally and ordinarily; they signal correct answers.