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Create a Multiple-Choice quiz (MCQ) question

Create a Multiple-Choice quiz (MCQ) question

You can set up a multiple choice question for your students.

If you need to revise a Multiple Choice question after the quiz has been published, use quiz regrade to update the question and have Canvas adjust grades for students who have already completed the quiz.

Add Question

  1. Click on the Questions Tab

  2. Click + New Question

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Set Name, Type, and Points

  1. Instructors do not see quiz questions automatically numbered. To give a quiz question a custom name, type the name in the question text field. Custom names make questions easier to identify, while students will still see the questions listed in numerical order, such as Question 1 and Question 2.

  2. Open the drop-down menu and choose the Multiple Choice question type.

  3. Enter the point value for the question. The quiz total is calculated from the combined points of all questions.

Note: Quiz point values can include up to two decimal places. If you enter more than two decimal places, the value will be rounded to the nearest hundredth.

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Edit Multiple Choice Question Details

To build a multiple choice question, you will need to enter the following details:

  1. The question text (use the Rich Content Editor to include video, images, math equations, or flash activities)

  2. Question response options

  3. Text for the answer comments under each answer and/or at the end of the question

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Create Answers with Rich Content Editor

  1. To create your answer with the Rich Content Editor, hover over the response and click the Edit icon. This switch will allow you to post video, audio, math equations, and more in the answer response.

  2. Click the Done button when finished.

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Add or Delete Answers

  1. Click Delete to the right of an answer to delete it.

  2. Click Add Another Answer to create as many distractors as you like. Multiple Choice questions can have more than four answers.

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View Correct Answer

Correct responses are indicated in green, while incorrect responses are in red.

By default, the text in the first answer field is the answer that will be considered correct by Canvas.

  1. The correct answer is identified by a solid green arrow next to the answer

  2. And the answer comment is also green.

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Change Correct Answer

To select another response as the correct answer, hover your cursor to the left of the answer you want to reveal a faded green "ghost" arrow. Click the arrow.

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  1. The arrow will become solid green,

  2. And the answer comment will also turn green to indicate the correct answer has changed.

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Enter Feedback Text

You may provide students with feedback using the answer comments fields.

  1. To add feedback for an individual answer, select the comment field below that answer.

  2. You can also add overall answer comments for the entire quiz question. Students who choose the correct answer will see the feedback in the green comment field, students who choose an incorrect answer will see the feedback in the red comment field, and all students will see the feedback in the blue comment field.

Note: Once a quiz is submitted, any relevant feedback is shown to students and cannot be hidden.

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Each text box can be expanded in size by clicking and dragging the handle at the bottom-right of the text box.

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Update Question

Click Update Question.

Add additional individual questions as needed.

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Student View of Multiple Choice Question

This is what students see when they encounter a Multiple Choice question in a quiz.

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Student View of Multiple Choice Correct Answer

This view is shown to students when they are permitted to review the correct answers after submitting the quiz.

  1. Students can identify the correct response by looking for the green flag.

  2. Credit is awarded when a student selects the correct answer for a Multiple Choice question.

  3. The blue answer comment is displayed regardless of whether the student answers the question correctly.

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Student View of Multiple Choice Incorrect Answer

This is the view students will see when they are permitted to review correct answers after submitting the quiz.

  1. Students can recognize the incorrect response by checking for the red flag.

  2. Students do not receive credit when they answer a Multiple Choice question incorrectly.

  3. The blue answer comment is shown whether the student’s response is correct or incorrect.

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