Creating a Short Answer question
A Short Answer question requires candidates to submit a word in response to a prompt.
This article explains how to create a basic Short Answer question in Surpass, including details on Advanced Short Answer in HTML subjects and how to add alternative answers, enable case sensitivity, and limit candidates’ responses.
In This Article
1. Choose your item type
In your subject, select Create New Item to open the Question Types menu. Choose Short Answer to create a blank Short Answer item and go to the Edit screen.
2. Name your item
Enter the item’s name in the Name field.
3. Enter your question text
Enter your question text in the question stem. Select Add Text Area to add an additional question stem. You can have a maximum of five question stems per item.
Open Additional Options to add source material or assistive media to your question stem. In mixed subjects, you can also add a table to your question stem (in HTML subjects, tables can be added using the formatting toolbar).
4. Add your answer
Enter the correct answer in the answer field.
Adding alternative answers
You can add additional acceptable answers to Short Answer items.
Select Add Alternative Answer to add another accepted answer. Select Remove Answer Option to remove an alternative answer.
Enabling case sensitivity
You can set up your item to require candidates to match the capitalisation of your answer.
To enable case sensitivity, select Require answer to be case-sensitive.
Limiting candidates’ responses
You can restrict how many characters candidates can enter into the answer field.
Select Limit candidate response and enter a value in the character(s) field. There is a maximum limit of 99 characters.
Advanced Short Answer (HTML subjects only)
An Advanced Short Answer item consists of a text string containing blank spaces where candidates can provide the missing words.
Select Advanced mode
Select Advanced on the Standard/Advanced toggle to enable Advanced mode.
Write your question and answer text
Enter the complete text in the answer field.
Add answers
Highlight the word (or words) you want candidates to provide and select Add Answer. This adds the number to Correct Answer(s), where you can make any necessary edits. To remove an answer, select Delete .
Additional options
Open Additional Options to view extra settings for your Advanced Short Answer item.
Select Require answer to be case sensitive if you require candidates to match the capitalisation of your answers.
Select Only award mark if candidate selects all correct answers if you only want to award full marks to those candidates that enter all correct answers.
Select Limit candidate response to a set a maximum accepted character value per answer field.
5. Set the question’s marks
Set the item’s total marks in the Mark field.
6. Select a workflow status
Set the item’s workflow status in the Status drop-down menu. Only items set to Live can be used in a test.
7. Preview your question
To see your item from a candidate’s perspective, select Preview .
In Mixed subjects, you can preview your item in the HTML test driver. Use the Preview arrow to open the Preview Options menu and select Preview in HTML . Any custom CSS is applied in the Preview screen. For more information on custom CSS, see Creating a subject in Setup.
You can check your item’s marking behaviour in the Preview screen. Enter answers to update the Mark field.
If you need to continue working on the item, select Edit to return to the Edit screen.
8. Saving and closing your item
Select Save to save your item to your subject.
To see additional saving options, use the Save arrow to open the Save Options menu. Select Save & Close to save the item and return to the Subjects screen. Select Save & New to save the item and create another Short Answer item.
Select Close to leave the Edit screen. If you have unsaved changes, you are prompted to either save or discard them.
Further reading
You can do much more with Short Answer items in Surpass. For more information, read the following articles: