Supply type test items are those which can be answered by a word, phrase, number or symbol. Supply type test items can be further divided into short answer test items and completion test items.
a. Short answer
Short answer test items are open-ended questions which require the students to recall and reproduce the needed information from their memories. They are called short answer test items because their answers usually consist of few words, phrases or sentences. For example:
i. Who invented television?
ii. What is the capital of UK?
Uses of short answer test items
Short answer items can be used for the following purposes:
Knowledge of Terminology:
Short answer items can be used for testing the knowledge of students about various terminologies. For example:
i. What is the name of the instrument, which is used for the measurement of temperature?
Knowledge of Secific Facts:
Short answer items can be used for testing the knowledge of students about various facts. For example:
i. What is the name of the scientist who invented microscope?
ii. What is the name of the largest planet in the solar system?
Knowledge of Principles:
Short answer item can also be used for testing the knowledge of students about various principles. For example:
i. What would happened if two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen are mixed together?
ii. What would happened if we increase the pressure applied to a gas while keeping its temperature constant?
Knowledge of Method or Procedure:
Short answer items can be used for testing the knowledge of students about various methods or procedure. For example:
i. What device is used for measuring the flow of current in an electric circuit?
ii. What teaching method is most effective for the teaching of history?
Simple Interpretations of Data:
Short answer items are used for simple interpretation of data. For example:
i. In the word “know”, which is the silent letter?
ii. How many tens are there in the number 45?
b. Completion Type Test Items
Completion type test items are those which are presented in the form of an incomplete statements. For example:
i. The name of the scientist who invented television is___________.
ii. The capital of UK is ____________.
The uses of completion type test items are similar to those of short answer type test items.
Advantages
Following are some of the advantages of short answer type test items:
i. They are easy to construct.
ii. They are best for testing the ability of students in the recall of memorized information.
iii. Since in short answer test items the students have to supply the correct answer, instead of choosing it from the given alternatives, as in the case of MCQs, therefore, there is no chance of guessing in this type of test items.
LIMITATIONS
Short answer test items have some limitations, which are given as under:
i. They can’t be used for measuring complex learning outcomes.
ii. If the wording or phrasing of the test item is too difficult to be accurately comprehended by the students, then majority of the students will prefer to leave it unanswered.
iii. If a test item is constructed in such a way that can be accurately answered in multiple ways, then the teacher will face difficulty in scoring this item.
SUGGESTIONS FOR CONSTRUCTING SHORT-ANSWER ITEMS
The above-mentioned limitations of short answer test items can be sufficiently removed by acting upon the following suggestions.
i. Word the test item in a simple language, so that all the students may easily comprehend it.
ii. The test item should be stated clearly and definitely so that it may lead all the students to one and only one possible answer.
iii. Phrases or sentences of the textbook should not be directly used as test items.
iv. Blanks for all possible answers should be equal in length and horizontally aligned with the test items.
v. As far as possible, write your test items in direct question form, like interrogative sentences, rather than writing them as incomplete statements.
