What advantage is gained from losing weight ?

[mrmvp]

When answering multiple-choice questions, should I start with "to" plus the infinitive, the verb or gerund phrase?

What advantage is gained from losing weight?

A. Feeling energetic.
B. To feel energetic.
C. Feel energetic.

My intuition tells me that there should be consistency between the question and the answer. I tend to use A.

 

[Rover_KE]

So do I.

 

[Mister Micawber]

I realize that this does not address your concern, but when I read the options, they all seem a bit "off" as test answers there. "Feeling" just borders on sounding like a gerund, which is what is called for to parallel "advantage". I would expect the appropriate answer to be something like "increased energy".

 

[mrmvp]

Thank you all for contributions.

I am making up a question, the question is "What is the advantage gained from business article one mentioned by Adam?"

A. Driving in a Formula 1 car.
B. A drive in a Formula 1 car.
C. To ensure that customers are loyal.
D. Ensure that customers are loyal.

In A, I used a gerund, while in B, I also start with a noun phrase, 'A drive.' In C, it sounds correct to me, but the only answer I might exclude is D. I'm not sure if an imperative can be used in that option.

Thank you once again.

 

[Mister Micawber]

Thank you all for your contributions.

I am making up a question. The question is, "What is the advantage gained from the business article mentioned by Adam?"

A. Driving in a Formula 1 car.
B. A drive in a Formula 1 car.
C. To ensure that customers are loyal.
D. Ensuring that customers are loyal.

In A, I used a gerund, while in B, I also started with a noun phrase, 'A drive.' C sounds correct to me, but the only answer I might exclude is D. I'm not sure if an imperative can be used in that option.

I agree with your assessment of the imperative. By the way, I'm not sure that I interpreted your made-up question precisely when I edited it.

 

[jutfrank]

In post #1, you've asked a multiple-choice question where the three options all give the same answer. In post #4, you have two answers spread over four options.

Do you not see this is completetly wrong, mrmvp? It makes no sense. Each option must give a different answer.

 

[mrmvp]

In post #1, you've asked a multiple-choice question where the three options all give the same answer. In post #4, you have two answers spread over four options.

Do you not see this is completetly wrong, mrmvp? It makes no sense. Each option must give a different answer.

No, it isn’t. I'm asking about the consistency between the question and the answer choices. Yes, the answers may seem somewhat similar, but why? In post #1, all options are similar. In post #4, A and B are similar, and the same applies to C and D. This is intentional because I want to determine which answers fit properly WHEN writing questions (MCQs). Please reread posts #1 and #4 again.

 

[mrmvp]

I agree with your assessment of the imperative. By the way, I'm not sure that I interpreted your made-up question precisely when I edited it.

Thank you for your explanation and corrections.

 

[jutfrank]

No, it isn’t. I'm asking about the consistency between the question and the answer choices.

I got that part, but it's kind of irrelevant because it doesn't make sense to give the same answer in three different options. It defeats the entire purpose of the test.

Yes, the answers may seem somewhat similar, but why?

They don't just seem similar, they are similar. That's the problem. That doesn't make sense, does it? In a multiple choice test, each option must be different, and there must be one factually correct answer. Offering the same answer in three sightly different ways doesn't test knowledge of the answer to the question.

 

[güey]

I want to determine which answers fit properly WHEN writing questions (MCQs).

Why did you in post #1 say when answering? And "should I start with"?

Please reread posts #1 and #4 again.

If in #4, A and B are options for "What's the advantage ...", then what are D and C for?

Not surprising people got confused by how you formulated the questions.

 

[mrmvp]

I got that part, but it's kind of irrelevant because it doesn't make sense to give the same answer in three different options. It defeats the entire purpose of the test.



They don't just seem similar, they are similar. That's the problem. That doesn't make sense, does it? In a multiple choice test, each option must be different, and there must be one factually correct answer. Offering the same answer in three sightly different ways doesn't test knowledge of the answer to the question.

I’m afraid you haven't. It is common knowledge that each question should have different answer choices to effectively assess students' knowledge of the subject. Each "question" must be related to and grammatically consistent with the options. Using different grammatical structures in the options is at the core of the problem lies.

What is the capital of Russia?

A. Moscow
B. Is
C. Delicious
D. burger

Now, all the answer choices are different, does that make them valid options for students to choose from? Hell NO. One starts with a noun in lowercase, another is an adjective, another is a "be" verb, and, above all, none-except the correct answer A are cities or countries. These irrelevant choices make the question poorly designed/ written.

The following is a real example I prepared for my business students :

The phrase "get free publicity" in the marketing

strategies means__________

A. advertise your company without paying.
B. reaching a target audience.
C. to promote your latest range.
D. offer discounts.

Again the options are different, do you think they are consistent as answer choices? Look at the words in bold.BTW, The correct answer is A.

 

[jutfrank]

Look, mrmvp, I do this for a living. I teach teachers how to write valid test questions for EFL learners. I'm trying to help, and if you don't want me to, then fine, but I'll have one last go at explaining what you're doing wrong.

Each "question" must be related to and grammatically consistent with the options.

That's right, yes.

What is the capital of Russia?

A. Moscow
B. Is
C. Delicious
D. burger

Now, all the answer choices are different, does that make them validd options for students to choose from?

No, that's a very poor question, because the four choices aren't of a similar category, conceptually or grammatically. The formatting (the verb form chosen, capitalisation, spelling, etc.) is trivial here.

Still, however poor it is, it's not as bad as the question posed in post #1, which offers the same answer for all three options. The only difference in those three answers is the grammar with which they're written. They're still the same answer. If you did that just for the purposes of asking us a question about which verb form is best to use when writing multi-choice test questions, then that's okay, but you've given the impression that that is the actual question you're going to use. In its current form, the question fails completely.

One starts with a noun in lowercase, another is an adjective, another is a "be" verb, and, above all, none-except the correct answer A are cities or countries. These irrelevant choices make the question poorly designed/ written.

Absolutely right.

The following is a real example I prepared for my business students :

The phrase "get free publicity" in the marketing

strategies means__________

A. advertise your company without paying.
B. reaching a target audience.
C. to promote your latest range.
D. offer discounts.

Again the options are different, do you think they are consistent as answer choices? Look at the words in bold.BTW, The correct answer is A.

That's much better, and this question is valid because you have four different answers of the same category, which is that each answer makes sense as a synonym for 'get free publicity'. The problem here though is that the verb forms in B. and C. are wrong, which is a grammatical, not conceptual issue, and easily fixed. Here's how the question should go:

What does the phrase get free publicity in the marketing strategy mean?

A. advertise your company without paying
B. reach a target audience
C. promote your latest range
D. offer discounts

Now each answer is in the same base form (infinitive) as the target phrase, and the question is good. In terms of formatting, notice that I've removed the full stops and undone the parts you bolded. I've chosen to use italic script to highlight the target word 'get free publicity' but your original choice of using qutation marks is not too bad. The answers don't need to be in italics too. (I'm not sure whether the word 'the' in the question makes sense but I'll take your word that it should be there. It's not important for what I'm saying.)

Moreover,—and this is very important—the question is now in question form, not in gap-fill form. As in a previous thread last week, you've confused a gap-fill question with a multi-choice question, which is one source of your issues with selecting the grammtical form of the option. Multi-choice questions that are designed to test comprehension should be in question form. That's important. The only reason to use gaps in a multi-choice test is when you're testing grammar or vocab, not understanding. If your aim with this question is to test something about grammar, then the question is invalid.

Here's an example of a multi-choice gap-fill test question:

She _____ to work every day.

A. goes
B. go
C. going
D. gone

Since this question is meant to test grammar, not comprehension, each option is in a different verb form. In such a test, this is entirely appropriate because it tests whether the taker knows which grammatical form is the correct one for the given context. There's no reading or listening test associated with this question, and the head sentence is not, and should not be, in question form because it's not a question. It's just a sentence designed to function as context for testing the grammar of verb forms.

Think about what you're testing:

Are you asking a question or not?
Are you testing the learners' comprehension of the text they've just read?
Are you testing their general knowledge of a particular subject?
Are you testing an element of their linguistic competency?

Don't test more than one of these things at the same time.

 

[mrmvp]

Look, mrmvp, I do this for a living. I teach teachers how to write valid test questions for EFL learners. I'm trying to help, and if you don't want me to, then fine, but I'll have one last go at explaining what you're doing wrong.

I don't doubt that, and I truly appreciate your contributions and I am deeply grateful to all the teachers at UE

That's much better, and this question is valid because you have four different answers of the same category, which is that each answer makes sense as a synonym for 'get free publicity'. The problem here though is that the verb forms in B. and C. are wrong, which is a grammatical, not conceptual issue, and easily fixed. Here's how the question should go:

What does the phrase get free publicity in the marketing strategy mean?

A. advertise your company without paying
B. reach a target audience
C. promote your latest range
D. offer discounts

I know why the answers are incorrect and I intentionally highlighted all of them as an example.


But I have some questions regarding your amendments.

1- Why did you start with lowercase letters when answering in the "question form," even though the the question ends with a question mark?

2-Why did you remove the full stops from the options?

Moreover,—and this is very important—the question is now in question form, not in gap-fill form. As in a previous thread last week, you've confused a gap-fill question with a multi-choice question, which is one source of your issues with selecting the grammtical form of the option. Multi-choice questions that are designed to test comprehension should be in question form. That's important. The only reason to use gaps in a multi-choice test is when you're testing grammar or vocab, not understanding. If your aim with this question is to test something about grammar, then the question is invalid.

This thread and the previous one exam questions, were about a reading passage. The exam assesses all language skills but is specifically designed for business administration students. This is why I combined multiple-choice questions with gap-fill exercises.

I presume you are an IELTS expert & trainer. Yes, in the reading section of the IELTS exam, candidates write down their answers based on their understanding of the text given. However, I do not follow this approach when testing my students. I ensure that the instructions are clearly written and that the questions are straightforward.

Do you have any comment on all reading questions, especially the forth one since it is not a question form . It is a multiple choice fill gap.

Please take a look at the attached example.

All esteemed teachers are welcome to comment and contribute . Thank you in advance.

 

[jutfrank]

1- Why did you start with lowercase letters when answering in the "question form," even though the the question ends with a question mark?

Do you mean why didn't I use capitals? There's no reason to use capitals. The four options are not sentences, if that's what you mean.

2-Why did you remove the full stops from the options?

I think you're thinking that the options are sentences, and as such need full stops. That's not the case. Full stops serve only one purpose, which is to finish sentences.

This thread and the previous one exam questions, were about a reading passage. The exam assesses all language skills but is specifically designed for business administration students. This is why I combined multiple-choice questions with gap-fill exercises.

I don't want to go on about this, but as I said, it was a bad mistake to attempt to do that.

I presume you are an IELTS expert & trainer.

I know this exam very well, yes.

Yes, in the reading section of the IELTS exam, candidates write down their answers based on their understanding of the text given. However, I do not follow this approach when testing my students.

Why not?

I ensure that the instructions are clearly written and that the questions are straightforward.

Good. That's very important.

Do you have any comment on all reading questions, especially the forth one since it is not a question form . It is a multiple choice fill gap.

A few comments, yes.

1) This test is not published by the people who do IELTS. Furthermore, these questions are not the type of questions that an IELTS test would test. In fact, the IELTS people would probably run a mile if they saw that.

2) Question 4 is particularly awkward. You can tell that whoever wrote it struggled. For a start, look at the way that hyphens have been used after letters A,B,C,D, instead of the dots in the next question. To me it's clear that the writer had little idea of what he or she was doing. Question 6 also inexplicably has these awful hyphens. You should use either dots or closing round brackets, not hypens or colons.

Secondly, notice that there's no full stop at the end of the sentence, after the gap. There should be. I imagine the writer struggling to know what to do here. They were possibly thinking 'Should there be a punctuation mark? A full stop? Or maybe a colon?'. It's even possible that they didn't give it any thought at all.

Thirdly, even though the writer has correctly put the options in all lower case for question 4, the options in the other two questions all begin with a capital letter. As I and other teachers here have said, it's not right to do that. The options are not sentences, so they don't need capital letters or full stops. Also, look at how in question 6, options B, C, and D have full stops at the end and A doesn't. Did the writer even realise this?

Who published this awful piece? My impression is that it was written by someone who not only did not know what they're doing, but who also failed to be bothered to check that it was presented properly. Can you please quote the source? Thanks.

 

[mrmvp]

Hello @jutfrank and thank you for your contribution.

Let's be frank you did hurt my feelings a little because I wrote them. I admit I haven’t finished editing the exam yet. The students will take it next week, and apart from the punctuation issues, in my humble opinion, the exam questions are appropriate for their level. They are dead easy, and I know that well. Almost all my students are at the A1–A2 level, and all of them are taking this subject as an elective course in college.

Therefore, using an IELTS sample exam or writing an advanced exam similar to the IELTS is beyond their level and even madness...


With regard to questions 5 and 6,
I thought that the answer choices for questions ending in a question form should be capitalized.

If the answer choices consist of a complete sentence with a subject, verb, and object
like "John went to the bank." , do I need to put a full stop?

Another question:

I’m struggling with one question:

10. Coal and oil are examples of _______________________.

A) fossil fuels
B) renewable energy
C) eco-friendly products
D) green data

The correct answer is (A) .As can be seen, all correct answers should align with "plural noun" because the question refers to coal and oil (plural). However, some answer choices, like B and D, are singular and would require "is" instead of "are."

In other words, all options should be "plural" for consistency, am I right?

Thank you so much.

 

[emsr2d2]

I've moved this thread to the "Teaching English" sub-forum. It has moved well beyond the scope of Ask A Teacher.

 

[jutfrank]

Let's be frank you did hurt my feelings a little because I wrote them.

Sorry, I didn't think that you wrote them. I thought you'd found them on the web somewhere.

With regard to questions 5 and 6,
I thought that the answer choices for questions ending in a question form should be capitalized.

No, don't do that.

If the answer choices consist of a complete sentence with a subject, verb, and object
like "John went to the bank." , do I need to put a full stop?

Yes.

Another question:

I’m struggling with one question:

10. Coal and oil are examples of _______________________.

A) fossil fuels
B) renewable energy
C) eco-friendly products
D) green data

The correct answer is (A) .As can be seen, all correct answers should align with "plural noun" because the question refers to coal and oil (plural).

Good question. Well, unless you want to be very strictly correct, then no. Even though the subject phrase 'Coal and oil' is plural, you can still use a singular noun phrase as an option as long as it's uncountable. 'Green data' and 'renewable energy' are uncountable, so they're okay. However, if you do want to be strict about this, you could find a way to pluralise the options. For example, you could say 'renewable energy sources' instead.

Again, I'm sorry if I upset you but I really am trying to help here. As this is my profession, I'm used to being very critical of the way teachers do things, so forgive me.