The document discusses different forms of assessment items commonly used in tests, including objective test items like short answer questions, alternate response questions, and matching questions. It provides examples of each type of question and evaluates their advantages and limitations. Some guidelines are offered for writing effective short answer and alternate response questions that test for specific knowledge or interpretations.

1. Forms of assessment
and assessment items
Objective test items

2. Topics
• Forms:
– Tests, projects/portfolios
• Common items:
– Objective, interpretive, essays

3. Objective test items
• Short answer
• Alternate response
• Matching
• Multiple choice

4. SHORT ANSWER
Questions answered with a word, number, symbol
or short phrase

5. Basic rule
• “Supply the answer” better than “complete
the sentence”
 A document showing a family’s income minus
expenses is ________
 What does one call a document which shows a
family’s income minus expenses? ________

6. Using short answer Qs
• Test knowledge of:
– Terminology (“What do you call a …?”)
– Facts (“Which law is used to…?”)
– Principles (“What will happen if…?”)
– Procedure (“What do you use for…”?)
• Test interpretation of data
– Information given
– “In the story told, which product was a need?”

7. Evaluating it
• Advantages
– Easy to construct
– Use mainly for testing recall
– Guessing is less effective
• Limitations
– Many degrees of correctness (“Where does
Refilwe’s business operate?”)
– Difficult to assess more complex learning

8. Guidelines
• Precise questions (avoid degrees of
correctness)
• If a number is required, indicate the unit
• Keep blanks equal in length

9. ALTERNATE RESPONSE
Questions answered with two possible answers
(true-false, yes-no, fact-opinion …)

10. Examples
True False Someone’s budget tells you the net
worth of that person.
Fact Opinion Expenses are more important to
control than income.
Yes No Will a person who keeps to a budget
incur rising debt?

11. Variations
• True-False-Opinion
• Correct-Incorrect-Not Known
• True-False with short answer
If the statement is false, replace the underlined word so that
it becomes true:
T F _______ Income minus liabilities gives you net wealth
• True-False with reason
If the statement is false, explain why:
T F Income minus liabilities gives you net wealth
________________________________________

12. Evaluating it
• Advantages
– Easy to construct
– Use mainly for testing recognition
– Can cover lots of content
• Limitations
– Easy to do a bad job (e.g. straight from textbook)
– Can pass by guessing

13. Guidelines
• Keep sentence short and simple
• Balance between responses
• No discernible pattern
• True statements should not be longer

14. Guidelines
• Avoid very broad statements (they can always
be true)
• Avoid negative statements (they confuse)
 True or False: “Wants are not greater than needs”
 True or False: “Needs are greater than wants”
• Test one idea at a time (otherwise it is not
clear which idea you are testing)
 “Wants are greater than needs because wants
can created through advertising”

15. MATCHING
Usually two columns where you connect pairs that
belong together

16. Example
Answer Column A Column B
_____ 1. Must be satisfied to survive A. Asset
_____ 2. Money that is earned B. Budget
_____ 3. Money that is owed C. Expense
_____ 4. Something that generates income D. Income
E. Liability
F. Need
G. Want
In Column A you find definitions. In the Answer column, write
the letter of the term in Column B that best describes the
definition. Each term in Column B may be used once, more than
once or not at all.

17. Kinds of matching
• Terms – Definitions
• Rules – Examples
• Objects – Uses
• Principles – Illustrations
• Parts – Functions
• …

18. Evaluating it
• Advantages
– Can cover lots of content
– Easy to construct
• Limitations
– Focus on rote learning
– Difficult to find material of the same kind