E. J. Caropreso: Developing Assessment Literacy (MCCSSS)
Sample Test: 6
Directions: This sample test includes a variety of objective test items. Some items are flawed and
in need of modification; others are acceptable as presented (given that even acceptable items could
be improved).
Please read and analyze each item in the sample test. For each item, on the line to the left of
the item mark “A” if the item is acceptable; mark “F” if the item is “flawed” in one or more
ways. For those items that you determine to be flawed, please indicate below the item how you
would correct the errors, or, simply rewrite the item.
1. ___ U. S. Grant was an
a. president
b. man
c. alcoholic
d. general.
2. ___ In what year did humans first set foot on the moon?
a. 1975
b. 1957
c. 1969
d. 1963
3. ___ The free-floating structures within the cell that synthesize protein are called
a. chromosomes b. lysosomes
c. mitochodria
d. free ribosomes
4. ___ The principal value of a balanced diet is that it
a. increases your IQ
b. gives you something to discuss with friends
c. promotes mental health
d. promotes physical health
e. improves self
discipline.
5. Some test items
a. are too difficult
b. are objective
c. are poorly constructed
d. have
multiple defensible answers.
6. ___Which of the following are not associated with pneumonia?
a. quiet breathing
b. fever
c. clear chest X-ray
d. a and c
7. ___ When 53 Americans were held hostage in Iran,
a. the U. S. did nothing to try to free them
b. The U. S. declared war on Iran
c. the U. S. first attempted to free them by diplomatic means, and, later, attempted a
rescue that resulted in failure
d. the U. S. expelled all Iranian students.
8. ___ The square root of 256 is
a. 14
b. 16
c. 4 x 4
d. both a and c
e. both b and c
f. all of
the above
9. ___ When a test item and the objective it is intended to measure match in learning outcome
and conditions, the item
a. is called an objective item
b. has content validity
Kub&Bor/Ch 6
c. is too easy
d. should be discarded.
10. ___ Christopher Columbus came to America in a
a. car
b. boat c. airplane
d. balloon
11. ___Of the following, who was elected president after the Civil War?
a. U. S. Grant b. Andrew Johnson
c. Abraham Lincoln
d. Andrew Jackson
12. ___ Man is to woman as boy is to
a. father
b. mother
c. girl
d. boy.
13. ___Physician is to humans as veterinarian is to
a. fruit b. animals
c. minerals
d. vegetables.
14. ___The evolutionary theory of __________ is based on the principle of _________.
15. ___ In what year did Gerald Ford become president of the United States? __________
16. ___ __________ was the first American to __________.
17. ___ World War II ended in __________.
18. ___ The supply type items are typically graded less objectively than __________type.
19. ___ The name of the largest city in Puerto Rico is __________.
20. ___ Too many blanks in completion items cause much ________in_________.
Kub&Bor/Ch 6