This document discusses essay questions and their construction. It defines an essay question as one that requires the examinee to explain, illustrate, reason, evaluate, generalize, verify hypotheses or differentiate and make similarities in an elaborate manner. It provides criteria for constructing oral essay questions, such as setting questions according to students' expected ability and using appropriate wordings. It notes the time needed to answer essay questions and provides an example of how to structure a question paper with different types of questions. The document outlines advantages of essay questions like assessing students' expression, language and different abilities, and limitations like subjectivity and possibility of bluffing. It concludes by assigning students to construct their own essay questions.

1. Art of
Writing
essay
Questions

2. a. Definition
If the examinee explains with evidence / illustrates
with diagram / reasons out / evaluates / generalize /
verifies the hypothesis / differentiates / make similarities
in an elaborative manner for a question, then that question
is termed as an essay question.

3. b. Criteria for constructing oral questions
b.1. One has to set a question on the expected ability
of the students. Suppose if one want’s to test the
application ability of the students then, the question has to
be set on that ability.
For example, to test application ability of the students,
the question set is
Give two examples for metals?

4. Is that question rightly asked?

5. No, that one was wrong.
Give two examples for metals?
Here the word example belongs to the specification
(SIO) of Understanding (GIO)
So, the correct question is
Prove with evidence that Gold is a metal;
(Explanation with evidences)
This is correct because proving with evidences (SIO)
belongs to the domain Apply (GIO)

6. b.2. Use appropriate wordings
Explain taxonomy of educational objectives?
(Explanation)
Is this question rightly written?

7. No.
Explain taxonomy of educational objectives?
The answer for this question may be any taxonomy of
educational objectives not necessarily Bloom’s. Since we have
asked this, we have award marks for any taxonomy. There are
19 such taxonomies, out of which Bloom’s is widely accepted
and popular and it is the only one in our syllabus. Can you
guess the correct wording for that question?

8. Explain Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy of educational
objectives? (Explanation)

9. b.3. The time for answering an essay question is to be
taken into account. Generally 30 minutes are required to
attempt on essay question.

10. Our Semester theory question paper (60 Marks/180
Minutes )
S.No. Section
No. of Ques. x
Marks
Time (min)
/ Ques.
Total Time
(Min)
1 A 10 x 1 1.5 15
2 B 5 x 4 15 75
3 C 3 x 10 30 90

11. b.4. Questions are to be asked directly and not round
about.
During 1949-53, there was a series of conferences in
USA on the taxonomy of educational objectives under the
chairmanship of Benjamin Bloom. Explain the outcome of
the conference?
Could you correct this question?

12. Explain Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy of educational
objectives? (Explanation)

13. c. Advantages
• Expressing ability of the students is known, which is not
possible in objective questions.
• The language ability of the student is known, which is
not possible in objective questions.
• Freedom in writing.
•All the abilities such as remember, understand, apply and
skills can be measured.
•Easy to construct

14. d. Limitations
• Subjectivity in measuring
• Unable to measure through machine
•Time is required for declaration of results
•Rote memory by students is motivated
•Bluffing is possible

15. Assignment
Now construct four questions, two each in apply and
skill in your selected and fixed syllabus.
Write as like in brown colored question.
The backside of yesterday’s A4 sheet can be used. Put
today’s date. Start every day's assignment in a fresh page.
Both sides of A4 sheet can be used.