Test item that is answered using one of three or more alternatives

An item that consists of one or more introductory sentences followed by a list of response options that include the correct answer and several incorrect alternatives.

A question, problem, or statement (called a "stem") which appears on a test, followed by two or more answer choices, called alternatives or response choices. The incorrect choices, called distractors, usually reflect common errors. The examinee's task is to choose from, among the alternatives provided, the best answer to the question posed in the stem. These are also called "selected-response items."

A test item for which the examinee must choose the correct or best answer from several given options. Multiple-choice items assess the examinee’s ability to recall facts, apply specific knowledge to a given problem or situation, and reach an appropriate conclusion by analyzing or evaluating information. Multiple-choice examinations can evaluate an examinee’s depth and breadth of knowledge in an objective manner during a reasonable testing period.

A test or question in which respondents have to choose one from four or five possible responses to a question posed in the “stem” at the outset. Only one is right, and the others, the distracters, are unequivocally wrong. National Tests The name given by the DfEE and QCA to the statutory tests in the Core and Foundation subjects of the National Curriculum, taken by all children in Local Authority schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the end of Key Stage 1 to 3 (ages 7, 11 and 14 in England and Wales). They are sometimes referred to as ‘SATs’ (Standard Assessment Tasks), the original equivalent tests in the early years of the National Curriculum.