Writing Effective Questions: True &

False, Matching, & Completion Test

Items

Nuhad Yazbik Dumit, RN, MA, PhD

American University of Beirut

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TRUE-FALSE TEST ITEMS
• A true-false item can be written in one of
three forms: simple, complex, or
compound.
• Answers can consist of only two choices
(simple), more than two choices
(complex), or two choices plus a
conditional completion response
(compound).

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An example of each type of true-
false item follows:
• SIMPLE: The acquisition of morality is a
developmental process. T or F
• COMPLEX: The acquisition of morality is a
developmental process. T or F or Opinion
• COMPOUND: The acquisition of morality is
a developmental process. T or F; what makes
this statement false or true?

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Advantages of Using True-False
Items
• True-False items can provide ...
– the widest sampling of content or
objectives per unit of testing time.
– scoring efficiency and accuracy.
– versatility in measuring all levels of
cognitive ability.
– highly reliable test scores.
– an objective measurement of student
achievement or ability.
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Limitations in Using True-False
Items
• Hold extremely high guessing factor. For simple
true-false items, each student has a 50/50 chance of
correctly answering the item without any
knowledge of the item's content.
• Difficult to write statements that are unequivocally
true or false thus end up writing ambiguous
statements.
• do not discriminate between students of varying
ability as well as other item types.
• can often include more irrelevant clues than do
other item types.
• can often lead an instructor to favor testing of trivial
knowledge.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR
WRITING TRUE-FALSE
TEST ITEMS
1. Base true-false items upon
statements that are absolutely true or
false, without qualifications or
exceptions.
– Undesirable: Nearsightedness is
hereditary in origin.
– Desirable: Geneticists and eye
specialists believe that the
predisposition to nearsightedness is
hereditary.
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2. Express the item statement as simply
and as clearly as possible.
• Undesirable: When you see a highway
with a marker that reads, "Interstate
80" you know that the construction and
upkeep of that road is built and
maintained by the state and federal
government.
• Desirable: The construction and
maintenance of interstate highways is
provided by both state and federal
governments.

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3. Express a single idea in each test
item.
– Undesirable: Water will boil at a higher
temperature if the atmospheric pressure
on its surface is increased and more
heat is applied to the container.
– Desirable: Water will boil at a higher
temperature if the atmospheric pressure
on its surface is increased.
and/or
Water will boil at a higher temperature
if more heat is applied to the container.

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4. Include enough background
information and qualifications so
that the ability to respond correctly to
the item does not depend on some
special, uncommon knowledge.
– Undesirable: The second principle of
education is that the individual gathers
knowledge.
– Desirable: According to John Dewey,
the second principle of education is that
the individual gathers knowledge.
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5. Avoid lifting statements from the
text, lecture or other materials so that
memory alone will not permit a
correct answer.
– Undesirable: For every action there is
an opposite and equal reaction.
– Desirable: If you were to stand in a
canoe and throw a life jacket forward to
another canoe, chances are your canoe
would jerk backward.

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6. Avoid using negatively stated item
statements.
– Undesirable: The Supreme Court is not
composed of nine justices.
– Desirable: The Supreme is composed of
nine justices.

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7. Avoid the use of unfamiliar
vocabulary.
– Undesirable: According to some
politicians, the raison d'etre for capital
punishment is retribution.
– Desirable: According to some
politicians, justification for the
existence of capital punishment is
retribution.

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8. Avoid the use of specific determiners
which would permit a test-wise but
unprepared examinee to respond
correctly.
– Specific determiners refer to sweeping
terms like "all," "always," "none,"
"never," "impossible," "inevitable,"
etc.
• Statements including such terms are likely
to be false.
– On the other hand, statements using
qualifying determiners such as
"usually," "sometimes," "often," etc.,
are likely to be true. 13

– When statements do require the use of

 Which is desirable?
1. All sessions of Congress are called by the
President. (F)
2. The Supreme Court is frequently required to rule on
the constitutionality of a law. (T)
3. An objective test is generally easier to score than an
essay test. (T)
4. (When specific determiners are used reverse the
expected outcomes.)
5. The sum of the angles of a triangle is always 1800 . (T)
6. Each molecule of a given compound is chemically the
same as every other molecule of that compound. (T)
7. The galvanometer is the instrument usually used for
the metering of electrical energy used in a home. (F)
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9. False items tend to discriminate more
highly than true items. Therefore, use
more false items than true items (but no
more than 15% additional false items).

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MATCHING TEST ITEMS
• Matching items consist of a column of
stimuli presented on the left side of the
exam page and a column of responses
placed on the right side of the page.
Students are required to match the
response associated with a given
stimulus.

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For example
• On the line to the left of each factual statement,
write the letter of the principle which bests
explains the statement's occurrence. Each
principle may be used more than once.

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• Factual Statements • Principles
a. There have been
1. Fossils of primates profound changes
first appear in the in the climate on
Cenozoic rock strata, earth.
while trilobite remains
are found in the b. Coordination and
Proterozoic rocks. integration of
2. The Arctic and action is generally
Antarctic regions are slower in plants
sparsely populated. than in animals.
3. Plants have no c. There is an
nervous system. increasing
4. Large coal beds exist complexity of
in Alaska. structure and
functions from
lower to higher
forms of life. 18

d. All life comes from

Advantages in Using Matching
Items
• require short periods of reading and
response time, allowing you to cover
more content.
• provide objective measurement of
student achievement or ability.
• provide highly reliable test scores.
• provide scoring efficiency and
accuracy.
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Limitations in Using Matching
Items

• have difficulty measuring learning

objectives requiring more than simple
recall of information.
• are difficult to construct due to the
problem of selecting a common set of
stimuli and responses

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SUGGESTIONS FOR
WRITING MATCHING
TEST ITEMS
1. Include directions which clearly state the
basis for matching the stimuli with the
responses. Explain whether or not a
response can be used more than once
and indicate where to write the answer.

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• Undesirable: Directions: Match the
following.

• Desirable: Directions: On the line to

the left of each identifying location
and characteristics in Column I, write
the letter of the country in Column II
that is best defined. Each country in
Column II may be used more than
once.
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2. Use only homogeneous material in
matching items; what do you think of
the following item?
Match the following.

1.___Water • A. NaCl
2.___Discovered • B. Fermi
Radium • C. NH3
3.___Salt • D. H2O
4.___Year of the 1st • E. 1942
Nuclear Fission by
• F. Curie
Man
5.___Ammonia 23
What do you think?
Directions: On the line to the left of each
compound in Column I, write the letter of the
compound's formula presented in Column II. Use
each formula only once.

• Column I • Column II
1. Water A. H2SO4
2. Salt B. HCl
3. Ammonia C. NaCl
4. Sulfuric Acid D. H2O
E. H2HCl
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3. Arrange the list of responses in some
systematic order if possible (e.g.,
chronological, alphabetical).

• On the line to the left of each

definition in Column I, write the letter
of the defense mechanism in Column
II that is described. Use each defense
mechanism only once.

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 Which is a more correct match with
column I?
Column IIB
a. Denial of
• Column I reality
1. Hunting for b. Identification
reasons to support
one's beliefs. c. Introjection
2. Accepting the d. Projection
values and norms e. Rationalization
of others as one's
own even when Column IIA
they are contrary to
previously held a. Rationalizatio
values. n
3. Attributing to b. Identification
others one's own
unacceptable c. Projection
impulses, thoughts d. Introjection 26

and desires.
4. Avoid grammatical or other clues to
the correct response
1. Igneous rocks are A. a hardness of 7.
formed B. with crystalline
2. The formation of rock.
coal requires C. a metamorphic
3. A geode is filled rock.
4. Feldspar is D. heat and pressure.
classified as E. through the
solidification of
molten lava.
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5. Keep matching items brief, limiting the
list of stimuli to under 10.
6. Include more responses than stimuli to
help prevent answering through the
process of elimination.
7. When possible, reduce the amount of
reading time by including only short
phrases or single words in the response
list.
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COMPLETION TEST ITEMS
• The completion item requires the student
to answer a question or to finish an
incomplete statement by filling in a blank
with the correct word or phrase. Example:
– According to Freud, personality is made
up of three major systems, the _________,
the ________ and the ________.

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Advantages in Using Completion Items

• can provide a wide sampling of

content.
• can efficiently measure lower levels of
cognitive ability.
• can minimize guessing as compared to
multiple-choice or true-false items.
• can usually provide an objective
measure of student achievement or
ability.
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Limitations in Using Completion Items

• are difficult to construct so that the desired

response is clearly indicated.
• have difficulty measuring learning objectives
requiring more than simple recall of information.
• can often include more irrelevant clues than do
other item types.
• are more time consuming to score when compared
to multiple-choice or true-false items.
• are more difficult to score since more than one
answer may have to be considered correct if the
item was not properly prepared.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING
COMPLETION TEST ITEMS

1. Omit only significant words from the

statement.
– Undesirable: Every atom has a central
(core) called a nucleus.
– Desirable: Every atom has a central core
called a(n) (nucleus) .

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2. Do not omit so many words from the
statement that the intended meaning
is lost.
– Undesirable: The ___________were to
Egypt as the____________were to
Persia and as __________were to the
early tribes of Israel.
– Desirable: The Pharaohs were to Egypt
as the__________were to Persia and as
____________were to the early tribes of
Israel.
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3. Avoid grammatical or other clues to
the correct response.
– Undesirable: Most of the United States'
libraries are organized according to the
(Dewey) decimal system.
– Desirable: Which organizational system
is used by most of the United States'
libraries? (Dewey decimal)

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4. Be sure there is only one correct
response.
– Undesirable: Trees which shed their
leaves annually are seed-bearing,
common).
– Desirable: Trees which shed their leaves
annually are called (deciduous).

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5. Make the blanks of equal length.
– Undesirable: In Greek mythology,
Vulcan was the son of (Jupiter) and
(Juno) .
– Desirable: In Greek mythology, Vulcan
was the son of (Jupiter) and (Juno) .

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6. When possible, delete words at the
end of the statement after the student
has been presented a clearly defined
problem.
– Undesirable: (122.5) is the molecular
weight of KClO3.
– Desirable: The molecular weight of
KClO3 is (122.5) .

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7. Avoid lifting statements directly from
the text, lecture or other sources.
8. Limit the required response to a
single word or phrase.

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