Multiple Choice, Fill-in-the-blank and Other Pair Types

In this session we'll add pairs in different categories and of different types, exploring some more uses of fonts and font effects in the process. Let's continue with the file NECAPS.FLU that we've been working with in the previous sessions.

Multiple Choice Q&A Pairs

Note: Click here to read why you may NOT want to use this feature in your actual files if you have WinFlash Educator. Please DO complete this section so that you'll understand the process and so that your tutorial file will stay in synch for the upcoming sessions.

1. Open WinFlash and open NECAPS.FLU. By now you've probably noticed that the file is listed at the bottom of the File menu. You can open it simply by clicking on its entry.

2. We'll learn another useful WinFlash shortcut here - invoke the editor, ready to edit a Q&A pair added to the end of the file, by typing Ctrl-L

3. On the Question Text page, click the Multiple Choice radio button at the top. You'll notice that the lower box containing the MC #1 through MC #6 edit boxes, which was previously disabled, is now enabled. Since we aren't using very much space for the text of our questions, click on the dark gray horizontal bar separating the question text from the multiple choice text boxes and drag it towards the top of the editor until all six boxes are showing. The editor has these adjustable dividers on the Question, Answer, Hints & Comments and Quick Deck pages. You can use them to apportion the space in the editor to best suit your use.

4. In the Text For Question edit box type in: The famous "shot heard 'round the world" was fired in a battle between the Minutemen and the British in what New England state? Now select the text "shot heard 'round the world" and make it boldface by clicking the "B" button. Repeat this for the words "Minutemen" and "British". Next select Minutemen again and click the "U" button - this will underline the word, further emphasizing it. Repeat for the word "British".

5. Since the topic has now shifted to history, replace Capitals in the Category edit box with History by selecting (highlighting) Capitals and then typing History.

6. Type, starting with MC#1, one state per MC edit box, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island. You can move down to the next edit box by hitting the Tab key.

7. Click on the check box next to MC#4 to indicate that Massachusetts is the sole correct answer to this question.

Note: WinFlash supports MULTIPLE required multiple choice answers as well. For example, Q&A pair 3 in the Quick Tour file poses the question ".. where was the infamous American "tea party" held?" with answers 1. New England; 2. Providence; 3. Hartford; 4. Boston; 5. Concord; 6. Massachusetts. In this case one would check the boxes associated with Mc's 1, 4 and 6 as the "tea party" was held in Boston, Massachusetts - one of the New England states.

8. We can simply leave the answer blank, since an answer of the form "The correct answer is Number 4" will automatically be constructed for us by WinFlash. Alternatively, you can elect to enter additional text of your own in the editor's Text For Answer edit box, which will be added in front of the auto-generated answer. To try out this new Q&A pair, rather than leaving the editor, we'll try a new feature. Click on the Preview Pair button or type Alt-r. The editor window disappears and the question we've just entered appears. Click on the correct answer (#4) (or type Alt-4) and click the Check My Answer button (or type Alt-c) and the auto-generated answer appears along with the flashing green check mark signifying that the answer was correct. Now click the Show Next Question button on the Answer dialog (or hit the Enter key) and the editor returns.

Fill-In-The-Blank Q&A Pairs

1. Add another new Q&A pair at the end of the file.

2. This time select the Fill-In-The-Blank radio button at the top.

3. In the Text For Question edit box enter Who was named Commander-In-Chief of America's first armed forces by the Second Continental Congress in 1775? Make the words "Commander-In-Chief" and "Second Continental Congress in 1775" bold.

4. Moving to the Answer Text page, enter in edit boxes FIB #1 through FIB #4 Washington, General Washington, George Washington, and General George Washington. This will allow the user to enter any of these answers and WinFlash will know that it should be counted as a correct entry. You'll want to be careful in structuring this type of Q&A pair - especially for use by others - that you include all of the acceptable correct answers. WinFlash does not check for capitalization by default, but can be set to do so by changing this setting in Options|View.

5. Again, we can leave the answer blank, since an answer of the form "You could have answered with any of the following:" - followed by a listing of the correct answers - will automatically be constructed for us by WinFlash. Alternatively, you can elect to enter additional text of your own in the editor's Text For Answer edit box, which will be added in front of the auto-generated answer. Try out this new Q&A pair using the Preview Pair button or type Alt-r. Enter any one of the four correct answers and the auto-generated answer text appears along with the flashing green check mark signifying that the answer was correct. Now click on Show Next Question on the Answer dialog and the editor will return.

Note: The following Q&A pair can only be created using WinFlash Scholar or WinFlash Educator. ALL versions of WinFlash can READ this type of Q&A pair, however. If you're doing the tutorial using WinFlash Basic, simply skip over the creation of this Q&A pair. To see how the Q&A pair works in practice, you can open the ONECAPS2.FLU reference file and look at Q&A pair 9.

6. Add another new Q&A pair to the end of the file.

7. Select the Fill-In-The-Blank radio button at the top.

8. In the Text For Question edit box type in: List the names of all six New England states. Enter Geography in the Categories list.

9. Moving to the Answer page, enter in edit boxes FIB #1 through FIB #6 Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Check the box below the FIB edit boxes that says Use Multiple Fill-In Mode.

True/False and Yes/No Q&A Pairs

1. Add another new Q&A pair to the end of the file.

2. This time select the True/False radio button at the top. This will change Correct Answer radio buttons on the Multiple Choice Text panel to True and False.

3. In the Text For Question edit box type in: After his success in leading the Colonial troops in the Revolutionary War, General George Washington became the first president of the newly-formed republic. Just for fun, let's change the font for "General George Washington" completely.

a. First, select the text "General George Washington".

b. Right-click (click with the right mouse button) the selected text.

c. Left-click "Font..." in the popup menu that appears.

d. Select the "Impact" font from the list of available fonts (if for some

reason this isn't available on your list, just select a different one that

looks recognizably different than the Arial font we're using for

the default font).

e. Click the font dialog's OK button

4. Select History in the drop-down Categories list.

5. Select the True radio button in the Multiple Choice Text panel.

6. We can simply leave the answer blank, since an answer of the form "The correct answer is True" will automatically be constructed for us by WinFlash. Alternatively, you can elect to enter additional text of your own in the editor's Text For Answer edit box, which will be added in front of the auto-generated answer. To try out this new Q&A pair click on the Preview Pair button or type Alt-r. The editor window disappears and the question we've just entered appears. Click on the correct answer (True) and the auto-generated answer appears along with the flashing green check mark signifying that the answer was correct. Now click the Show Next Question button on the Answer dialog and the editor returns.

7. Add another new Q&A pair to the end of the file.

8. This time select the Yes/No radio button at the top. This will change Correct Answer radio buttons on the Multiple Choice Text panel to Yes and No.

9. In the Text For Question edit box type in: After serving his first term as president, was Washington elected to a second term? Select History in the drop-down Categories list.

10. Select the Yes radio button in the Multiple Choice Text panel.

11. Save your work.

12. This completes this session. Exit the editor and take a cruise through your newly improved file - experiment with some of the settings in Options! Finish by selecting File|Exit This Q&A File or type Ctrl-q.

You've now learned about all of the available Q&A pair types as well as added more fonts and font effects!!

The fourth exercise will use the file that you've just finished as a starting point. If you'd like to continue with that exercise now, just click Bring On the Multimedia!!

Page url: http://www.openwindow.com/helpfile/multiple_choice_fill_in_the_bl.htm