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How do I create a Multiple Dropdown quiz question?

You can create a question that has multiple options for students to select in their response. You can create a sentence with multiple answers, as demonstrated in this lesson, or you can use the same steps to create a list.

View the video transcript

00:05: How do I create a Multiple Dropdown quiz question?

00:09: With the Questions tab selected inside a new quiz, click the New Question button.

00:15: Quiz questions are not automatically numbered for instructors. To add a custom name

00:19: to your quiz question,

00:19: enter the name in the question

00:21: text field. Custom names can help you identify quiz questions more easily. Regardless

00:26: of the question name, students always see quiz questions in numerical order

00:30: (i.e. Question 1, Question 2).

00:33: Click the drop-down menu and select the Multiple Dropdowns

00:36: question type.

00:38: Enter number of points

00:39: the question is worth. Quiz

00:41: totals are calculated based on combined total of questions.

00:45: Type your question into the Rich Content Editor.

00:47: You can also use the Rich Content Editor to include video, images, math equations,

00:53: or flash activities.

00:55: Now replace the words you want students to enter in the question with reference

00:59: words. Reference words should be surrounded by brackets and cannot contain spaces,

01:03: periods, or other non-alphanumeric characters.

01:06: Once you place a word in brackets, the word will populate in the Show Possible

01:11: Answers for drop-down menu.

01:13: For example, red has been replaced with color1, and blue has been replaced with color2.

01:18: color 2.

01:20: For each item in the drop-down menu, enter one correct answer and all of the other

01:24: distractors. Type the correct answer and the distractors in the Possible Answer

01:29: fields. Click

01:30: the Add Another Answer link to add additional distractors.

01:35: Hover your cursor to the left of any answer to reveal a green "ghost" arrow.

01:41: Click the green arrow to the left of the correct answer.

01:44: You will know which answer is the correct answer because both the arrow and the

01:50: answer

01:50: comment around that answer will turn green.

01:54: In this example, the first answer is the correct answer.

01:58: Select the second item in the drop-down menu and create the associated answers.

02:02: Repeat this process for as many reference words as are in your question.

02:08: You can choose to give students feedback in the answer comments fields. To leave

02:12: feedback for a specific answer, click the comment field beneath the answer.

02:18: You can also create general answer comments for the quiz question as a whole.

02:22: Students who select the correct answer will see the feedback in the green comment

02:27: field.

02:28: Students who select any incorrect answer will see the feedback in the red

02:33: comment field.

02:34: All students will see the feedback in the blue comment field.

02:38: To resize the Rich Content Editor, click the Plus and Minus icons.

02:42: You can also click and drag the Resize icon.

02:46: Click the Update Question button.

02:49: This is what students see when they encounter a Multiple Dropdowns question in a

02:49: quiz.

02:54: If you allow students to see the correct answers,

02:56: correct responses are marked with a green flag.

02:59: Incorrect responses will be marked with a red flag and any correct answers not

03:04: indicated by the student are marked with a gray flag.

03:07: Partial credit will be assigned if some of the blanks are completed correctly.

03:12: This guide covered how to create a Multiple Dropdown quiz question.

Add Question

Quiz page with the Questions tab and New Question button highlighted

With the Questions tab [1] selected inside a new quiz, click the New Question button [2].

Set Name, Type, and Points

New Question form with the question text field, question type menu, and points field highlighted

Quiz questions are not automatically numbered for instructors. To add a custom name to your quiz question, enter the name in the question text field [1]. Custom names can help you identify quiz questions more easily. Regardless of the question name, students always see quiz questions in numerical order (i.e. Question 1, Question 2).

Click the drop-down menu and select the Multiple Dropdowns question type [2].

Enter number of points the question is worth (quiz totals are calculated based on combined total of questions) [3].

Note: Quiz point values support up to two decimal places. Entering more than two decimal places will round the point value to the nearest hundredth.

Enter Question Details

New Question form with the Rich Content Editor highlighted

Type your question into the Rich Content Editor. You can also use the Rich Content Editor to include video, images, math equations, or flash activities.

Create Reference Words

New Question form with reference words in brackets highlighted

Now replace the words you want students to enter in the question with reference words. Reference words should be surrounded by brackets and cannot contain spaces, periods, or other non-alphanumeric characters. Once you place a word in brackets, the word will populate in the Show Possible Answers for drop-down menu.

For example, red has been replaced with [color1], and blue has been replaced with [color2].

Enter Answer Responses for First Reference Word

Reference word drop-down menu with the Possible Answer field and Add Another Answer link highlighted

For each item in the drop-down menu, enter one correct answer and all of the other distractors. Type the correct answer and the distractors in the Possible Answer fields [1]. Click the Add Another Answer link [2] to add additional distractors.

Note: The drop-down menu displays a maximum of 100 characters to students taking a quiz.

Choose Correct Answer

Answer list with the correct answer's arrow highlighted

Hover your cursor to the left of any answer to reveal a green "ghost" arrow. Click the green arrow to the left of the correct answer. You will know which answer is the correct answer because both the arrow and the answer comment around that answer will turn green. In this example, the first answer is the correct answer.

Enter Answer Responses for Additional Reference Words

Reference word drop-down menu with a second reference item highlighted

Select the second item in the drop-down menu and create the associated answers. Repeat this process for as many reference words as are in your question.

Enter Feedback Text

New Question form with an answer's comment field and the general comment field highlighted

You can choose to give students feedback in the answer comments fields. To leave feedback for a specific answer, click the comment field beneath the answer [1].

You can also create general answer comments for the quiz question as a whole [2]. Students who select the correct answer will see the feedback in the green comment field. Students who select any incorrect answer will see the feedback in the red comment field. All students will see the feedback in the blue comment field.

Note: Any applicable feedback is visible as soon as a quiz is submitted and cannot be hidden from students.

Resize Rich Content Editor

New Question form with the Rich Content Editor's resize icons highlighted

To resize the Rich Content Editor, click the Plus and Minus icons [1]. You can also click and drag the Resize icon [2].

Update Question

Click the Update Question button.

Add additional individual questions as needed.

Student View for Multiple Dropdowns Question

Multiple Dropdowns question as seen by a student

This is what students see when they encounter a Multiple Dropdowns question in a quiz.

Student View for Multiple Dropdowns Feedback

Multiple Dropdowns question with correct, incorrect, unselected, and partial credit indicators highlighted. More information in the step text.

If you allow students to see the correct answers, correct responses are marked with a green flag [1]. Incorrect responses will be marked with a red flag [2] and any correct answers not indicated by the student are marked with a gray flag [3]. Partial credit will be assigned if some of the blanks are completed correctly [4].

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