M ultiple choice

A TESTY SITUATION
Each of the following test formats has its own way of being tricky. The
best way to learn how they work is to practice. The more tests you take,
the easier it will be for you to weed out wrong answers.
M ULTIPLE CHOICE
A multiple-choice test can be tricky. Often, you have four possible answer
choices. Usually, they follow this pattern:
One answer is correct.
One answer is close to the correct answer.
One answer is very different from the correct answer.
One answer is loosely associated with the correct answer but is not
close.
TRUE/FALSE
A true/false test works on a similar principle. The contrast between your
two choices can be great or small; your options can be direct opposites or
one can be close but not quite correct.
PREPARING FOR SHORT- ANSWER TESTS
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M ATCHING
A matching test is similar to multiple-choice in that the answer is there,
but you have to find it among answers that may be close in definition.
Some matching tests have more choices in one column than in the other.
It’s important you read the directions very carefully so you don’t get
confused by extra choices.
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK
A fill-in-the-blank test is the opposite of a matching or multiple-choice
test. The answer is not there for you; you have to come up with it yourself.
The best way to prepare for this type of test is to know your vocabulary—
including correct spelling.
READING CLOSELY TO FIND THE CORRECT
ANSWER
Your first clue to a right answer is in reading the question closely. (You
might want to review Chapter 10,“Getting More out of Reading.”) You need
to find out exactly what a question is asking. As you read the test question:
What questions come to mind?
What images or words come to mind?