FQT Multiple choice placeholders
In addition to the answer box placeholders, the Formulas question type provides for two other types of placeholder which are used for multiple choice questions:
- Dropdown menu placeholder
- Radio buttons placeholder
Why make a FQT multiple choice question?
Because you can use all the power of the Formulas calculation engine to build the list of choices.
The syntax for this placeholder is {_n:choices:MCE} where _n is the placeholder name (_0, _1, _2, etc.) as for the answer box placeholders, choices is a list of strings to appear as the menu choices and MCE must appear as is.
Use a dropdown menu placeholder to make a multiple choice question.
Downloadable question file: CapitalCanada.xml
General Question name* A formulas question with a dropdown menu multiple choice question Variables Global variables cities=["Calgary","Halifax","Montréal","Ottawa","Toronto","Vancouver"]; Main question Question text* Geography {#1} Part 1 Part's mark* 1 Answer type Number Answer* 3 Grading criteria* Absolute error == 0 Placeholder name #1 Part's text What is the capital city of Canada? {_0:cities:MCE}
The formulas question should look like this (the choices are highlighted by moving up and down in the menu):
Radio buttons placeholder
The syntax for this placeholder is {_n:choices} where _n is the placeholder name (_0, _1, _2, etc.) as for the answer box placeholders and choices is a list of strings to appear as the menu choices. The list of buttons is only vertical.
Use a radio buttons placeholder to make a multiple choice question.
Downloadable question file: PlanetClosestSun.xml
General Question name* A formulas question with a radio buttons multiple choice question Variables Global variables planets=["Earth","Jupiter","Mars","Mercury","Neptune","Saturn","Uranus","Venus"]; Main question Question text* Astronomy {#1} Part 1 Part's mark* 1 Answer type Number Answer* 3 Grading criteria* Absolute error == 0 Placeholder name #1 Part's text What is the closest planet to the sun? {_0:planets}
The formulas question should look like this (the student must click a choice from the list):
Shuffled choices
With Formulas multiple choice questions, the shuffling of choices is not a built-in option but it can be easily programmed.
Make a multiple choice Formulas question with shuffled choices.
Downloadable question file: ShuffledMultipleChoice.xml. Programming comments are given in this file.
General Question name* ShuffledMultipleChoice Variables Random variables c=shuffle([0,1,2,3,4,5]); Global variables mc=[" Red"," Orange"," Yellow"," Green"," Blue"," Violet"]; a=3; # The third answer (counting from 0), i.e. Green, is the correct answer. c=c; t=c; for (i:[0:6]) { t[i]=a==c[i]?i:0; } tt=0; for (i:[0:6]) { tt=tt+t[i]; } colors=[mc[c[0]],mc[c[1]],mc[c[2]],mc[c[3]],mc[c[4]],mc[c[5]]]; Main question Question text* Physics {#1} Part 1 Part's mark* 1 Answer type Number Answer* tt Grading criteria* Absolute error == 0 Placeholder name #1 Part's text What pure spectral color has an approximate wavelength of 530 nm (measured in air or vacuum)? {_0:colors}
The formulas question should look like as shown below. The choices are shuffled hence in a different order for each student (there are 6! = 720 permutations):