Multiple-Choice Questions
Out of laziness / necessity I use multiple-choice questions on every test and exam, but I don’t trust them. I was taught to never try to trick students — quite fair — yet in MCQ, I find students getting tricked so easily.
Here are two stylistically-common MCQ questions from me:
***
1. “A bell is tolling, fading, fading / just like love” is an example of:
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Personification
- Imagery
2. “This ain’t a scene, it’s an arms race” is an example of:
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Personification
- Imagery
***
And so the list of quotes / poetic devices would continue.
This is me trying to be as direct as I can be, but students still find tricks and while marking even I find myself thinking “oh. That was tricky.”
Worse. I never use MCQ during the teaching of a unit. Only the testing.
Do I dare to turn my back on them?
