ARCHIVED: In Oncourse Tests & Surveys, how can I format questions correctly for the markup text option?

In the Tests & Surveys tool, you can create your questions offline in the format described here, and then copy and paste them into a new assessment by clicking Create using markup text. If you choose the default Create using assessment builder option instead, you will create your questions in the question editor, and do not need to use this document. You can only use the markup text option with the types of questions listed below; additional question types are available in the question editor. See ARCHIVED: Types of questions available for assessments and ARCHIVED: Creating a new assessment.

• General instructions
• Multiple Choice
• Multiple Correct Answer
• Fill in the Blank
• Short Answer/Essay
• True/False

General instructions

For the tool to distinguish between questions, each question must begin with the word "Question" or a number; for graded questions, include the number of possible points in parentheses. All of the following are legitimate:

  Question 23 (10 points)
  Question (10 points)
  Question 23
  23. (10 points)
  23.

Note that the entries above without "(10 points)" would result in a question worth zero points.

The text of the question itself may be placed on this same line or below it, and should be followed by answers in the appropriate format for that question type. The parser will use this format to deduce the question type of the question.

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Multiple Choice

Each answer should begin with its appropriate letter, in alphabetical order. The correct answer should be prefixed with an asterisk (*).

  1. (10 points)
  Who was the first president of the United States?
  *a. Washington
  b. Jefferson
  c. Lincoln
  d. Clinton

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Multiple Correct Answer

Each answer should begin with its appropriate letter, in alphabetical order. The correct answers should be prefixed with an asterisk (*).

  2. (15 points)
  Which of the writers below were American citizens at some point in their lives?
  *a. William Faulkner
  b. Virginia Woolf
  *c. T. S. Eliot

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Fill in the Blank

The correct answer should be prefixed with an asterisk (*).

  3. (5 points)
  What color is a violet? ______
  *Blue

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Short Answer/Essay

No answer should be provided for this question type.

  4. (18 points)
  Explain the purpose of education.

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True/False

The correct answer should be prefixed with an asterisk (*). The incorrect answer can also be included, as below, though this is not necessary.

  5. (7 points)
  The sky is blue.
  *True
  False

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