1.
Make sure there is only one correct answer.
The teacher should
avoid writing options that may be open to debate or argument. The correct
answer must be unquestionably correct which everybody should agree and accept.
The teacher should avoid two possible keys.
Ex.
which animal is hatched from egg?
A.
Spider C.
Rabbit
B.
Snake D. carabao
This item has two
correct answers-spider and snake. It must be revised in changing one of the
options in order to have only one correct answer.
2.
Make the options homogenous.
Homogenous options
are those that belong to one category or classification. If the key is an
animal, the distracters should also be animals. Homogenous options are
plausible alternatives. Plausible alternatives have the possibility to be
chosen by the uninformed students.
Ex.
Which of the following is a cephalopod?
A.
Snail C. Clams
B.
Tusk
shell D. Octopus
The distracters belong to the same
phylum as with the correct answer.
3.
Make all options grammatically consistent and
parallel in form with the stem of the item.
Options should be
consistent in tense, article, or grammatical form with stem. If the stem calls
for a future tense, the key and the distracters should be stated in the same
tense to make the options parallel in form.
If the stem calls for a word that begins with a consonant, then the
article ‘a’ should be used. The other options should be words which have
initial consonants in order to make them parallel in form.
Ex. How
the movement of bones is is made possible?
A.
By
pushing the skeletal muscle
B.
By
pulling the skeletal muscles.
C.
Muscles
and bones are combined
D.
Muscles
pushes the other muscles
Alternatives C and D are not
parallel in form with the key. They must be change or revived
C.
By
combining the muscle and bones
D.
By
pulling and pushing the muscles
All the options are in parallel
form. They are all in gerund form.
