ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses completion and short-answer items, perhaps the most common test format used at all grade levels in school. These are frequently the first types of written test questions that students encounter in the very early grades. The chapter helps us to learn about the advantages and limitations of the short-answer format, and the attributes, characteristics, of items written in that format. It teaches how to prepare better short-answer items and have an opportunity to practice critiquing items. Completion and short-answer items require answers that are as brief as a single word or as long as a sentence. One of the primary advantages of the short-answer format is that items of this type are relatively easy to construct. Most short-answer items simply require the recall of information since they typically measure knowledge and comprehension. This allows the questions to be written in a rather simple, straightforward manner.
