This document provides guidance on writing objective examination questions in the alternative response format, which includes true-false, multiple choice, and multiple response items. It discusses best practices such as keeping statements short and focused on one idea, avoiding ambiguous terms, and balancing the number of true and false statements. Tips are provided for single and multiple true-false questions as well as multiple response items. Advantages of alternative response items include efficiency and wide content sampling, while limitations include only measuring basic knowledge and susceptibility to guessing.

1. Objective Examination
Alternative Response

2. Alternative Response
• This test consists of series of items where it admits
only one correct response in each item from the two
or three consonant options to be chosen. This type is
commonly used in classroom testing, particularly,
the two-consonant alternative type or true-false
type. Other forms are right-wrong, plus-minus, yes-
no, correct-incorrect, same-different, etc.

3. Alternative Response
• Single True-False
• Multiple True-False
• Multiple Correct Response

4. Writing True or False Questions
• True-false questions require the students to
select a response (true or false) that shows
recognition of correct or incorrect information
that is presented to them.
• Another term applied to these items is "forced
choice" because the student must choose
between two possible answers.

5. Writing True or False Questions
• True-false questions are well suited for testing
student recall or comprehension. Students can
generally respond to many questions, covering a
lot of content, in a fairly short amount of time.
• In the most basic format, true-false questions
are those in which a statement is presented and
the student indicates in some manner whether
the statement is true or false.

6. Writing True or False Questions
• Scores on true-false items tend to be high
because of the ease of guessing correct answers
when the answer is not known. With only two
choices (true or false) the student could expect
to guess correctly on half of the items for which
correct answers are not known.

7. Writing True or False Questions
• Because these items are in the form of
statements, there is sometimes a tendency to
take quotations from the text, expecting the
student to recognize a correct quotation or note
a change (sometimes minor) in wording. There
may also be a tendency to include trivial or
inconsequential material from the text. Both of
these practices are discouraged.

8. Writing True or False Questions
• A good use of true-false questions is for the
student to demonstrate understanding or simple
logic. These questions can also be used
effectively in stating cause and effect
relationships (Example below), established by
the use of "because" in the statement.
1. Year-round schooling is implemented because
students like the air-conditioned schools in the
summer.

9. Writing True or False Questions
• Unless an item is intended to show cause and effect, it
should contain only one idea (Example 2). If more than
one idea is contained (Example 3), one part of the
statement may be true while the other part is false,
leaving the student confused as to how to answer.
2. The University is centrally located in the city.
3.The University is centrally located in the city with
sufficient student parking.

10. Writing True or False Questions
• If the statement is an opinion, rather than a fact,
it should be attributed to someone, as in
Example 4. A good indicator that a statement is
an opinion is the use of "should" or similar
language in the statement.
4. According to the President, teachers in rural
areas should be first to receive salary increases.

11. Writing True or False Questions
• One suggested method for developing true-false items is to write a
set of true statements that cover the content, then convert
approximately half of them to false statements. When changing
items to false (as well as in writing the true statements initially), it is
best to keep items stated positively, avoiding negatives or double
negatives. If negatives (such as the word "not") are used, there
should be some way of calling attention to them: putting them in
italics, bold type, or capital letters, or underlining them. Example 5a
starts with a positive statement, then shows possible changes to
address the content while making it a false statement. While 5c is an
improvement over 5b, 5d is the preferred one.

12. Writing True or False Questions
5a. Writing objectives precedes development of
curriculum. (original true statement)
5b. Writing objectives does not precede development of
curriculum. (unwieldy false statement containing "not")
5c. Writing objectives does NOT precede development of
curriculum. (improved false statement)
5d. Development of curriculum precedes writing
objectives. (preferred false statement)

13. General Guidelines for Writing
True-false Questions
• Statements should be relatively short and
simple.
• True statements should be about the same
length as false statements. (There is a tendency
to add details in true statements to make them
more precise.)
• The answers should not be obvious to students
who don't know the material.

14. General Guidelines for Writing
True-false Questions
• Sweeping broad general statements or absolutes
(all, always, never, none, only), such as Example
6, tend to be false, since the student need think
of only a single incident in which it is untrue to
mark it false.
6. Students who make as always have above
average IQ scores.

15. General Guidelines for Writing
True-false Questions
• A similar situation occurs with the use of "can" in a true-
false statement. If the student knows of a single case in
which something could be done, it would be true.
• Ambiguous or vague statements and terms, such as
"large," "long time," "regularly," "some," and "usually"
are best avoided in the interest of clarity. Some terms
have more than one meaning and may be interpreted
differently by individuals as in Example 7.
7. A nickel is larger than a dime. (True if we are talking
about diameter, false if we are talking about the
monetary value.)

16. General Guidelines for Writing
True-false Questions
• While one author recommends having about the same
number of true and false statements, another suggests
having a larger number of false statements. A good
guideline is to vary the ratio of true/false statements from
test to test or quiz to quiz so that students do not depend
on previous tests for cues as to the balance of true and false
questions.
If students are to write in a "T" or "F" to indicate answers,
their handwriting can cause errors in marking. This can be
avoided by having them circle or underline their answers
("T" or "F," "true" or "false"), which would be typed beside
each question.

17. General Guidelines for Writing
True-false Questions
• Determine that the questions are appropriately
answered by "True" or "False" rather than by
some other type of response, such as "Yes" or
"No."
• Finally, arrange the statements so that there is
no discernible pattern of answers (such as T, F,
T, F, T, F and T, T, F, F, T, T, F, F) for True and
False statements.
• Be sure to include directions that tell students
how and where to mark their responses.

18. Single True-False
Directions: Circle T if the given statement
is true and F if the statement is false.
T F 1. Statement.
T F 2. Statement.

19. Single True-False Example in
Science(Secondary)
Directions: Circle T if the given statement is true and F if the
statement is false.
T F 1. Cell is the basic unit of life.
T F 2. Nucleoplasm is the region of the protoplasm outside
the nucleus and where nutrients are absorbed, transported,
and processed.
T F 3. In a typical cell, the production of energy in the form
of ATP takes place in the mitochondria.
T F 4. Lysosomes are vesicles that formed by the vacuoles.
T F 5. Mitochondria and Chloroplast are energy converting
organelles.

20. Single True-False Example in
Science(Secondary)
T F 6. The green pigment material is
called chlorophyll.
T F 7. Peroxisomes are also known as the
the digester of molecules
T F 8. Vacuoles are storer of molecules .
T F 9. The shape of the cell is commonly
related to its function.
T F 10. Prokaryotic cells have a true
nucleus.

21. Single True-False Example in
Math(Secondary)
Directions: Circle T if the given statement is true
and F if the statement is false.
T F 1. There are four quadrants in the Cartesian plane.
T F 2. In the first quadrant, the value of x is positive
and the value of y is negative.
T F 3. Pythagoras was the one who discovered the
Cartesian plane.
T F 4. The values of x and y in the third quadrant are
both negative.
T F 5. The arrows of x and y axes mean ‘ infinite’.

22. Multiple True-False
Directions: Following each statement are a number of
options or alternatives. For each option or alternative,
circle T if it is true and F if false.
Question 1. Statement or stem.
T F a. Option or alternative
T F b. Option
T F c. Option
T F d. Option

23. Multiple True-False Example
A virus:
*T F a. Can cause disease.
T *F b. Can reproduce by itself.
T *F c. Is composed of large living cells.
*T F d. Lives in plant and animal cells.

24. Multiple Correct Response
Directions: Which of the following statements are
valid? Write
"A" if 1, 2, and 3 are valid statements.
"B" if only 1 and 3 are valid statements.
"C" if only 2 and 4 are valid statements.
"D" if only 4 is a valid statement.
"E" if all are valid statements.

25. Multiple Correct Response Example
The fluid imbalance known as edema is commonly
associated with:
1. Allergic reactions.
2. Congestive heart failure.
3. Extensive burns.
4. Protein deficiency.
The correct answer is:
a. 1, 2, and 3.
b. 1 and 3.
c. 2 and 4.
d. 4 only.
*e. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

26. Alternative Response Items
• Stem contains a declarative statement.
• Response choices (true/false, yes/no,
right/wrong, correct/incorrect, fact/opinion,
agree/disagree).
• Measures the ability to correctly identify the
correctness of statements of fact, definitions of
terms, or statements of principles (simple
learning outcomes)

27. Tips to Remember
• If you are simply doing T/F stay away from
opinion statements.
• Keep the stem clear and concise (avoid complex
sentences).
• Do not use subjective words such as frequently,
most, some, few, usually, often etc.
• Do not use absolute terms such as always,
never, all, none, or only.
• Avoid the use of negative terms: no, not.
• Keep a balanced response set

28. Advantages and Limitations
• Efficient
• Easy to construct
• Provides for a wide-sampling of material
• Limited to measuring at the knowledge level
• Susceptibility to guessing