1. Analogies for Multiple Choice Testing Presented by Virginia Malone May 19, 2004

2. Analogies Are Used To Show Relationships

3. Analogies  Abstract ideas are often learned as analogies.  Greater understanding of Known means Greater understanding of Unknown  Stronger analogies - more similarities between Known and Unknown

4. Two Part Structure  The Known or Source or Analog  The Unknown or Target  Order – Target to Source for learning

5. Analogies for Learning Unknown to Known Ken Lay was like a vulture feeding on carrion. NOT A vulture feeding on carrion was like Ken Ray. A vulture feeding on carrion was like Ken Ray.

6. Like  Ken Lay seemed insatiable, just as a vulture seem to be insatiable.  Ken Lay had little regard for his energy source just as a vulture has little regard for its energy source  Enron did not know that Ken was taking money, just as the carrion does not know that the vulture is eating it.

7. Different  Ken Lay cannot fly, but he can flee the country, a vulture can fly, but not too good at fleeing its territory.  Ken Lay hid some Enron’s money for use on another day. Vultures do not hide carrion for later use.

8. Political Cartoons Are Analogies

9. Formal Presentation of Analogies Used in Testing Source I : Source II :: Target I : Target II Principal : School :: President : Country

10. Determine Like and Different President - Principal. Like Both tell us how we are doing Both lead Different Different President leads a nation Principal leads our school

11. All Options Must Be Related to Target I Principal : School :: President : a. Congress b. Country c. Students d. White House c. Students d. White House c. Leader

12. Target II Should Be in Same Category as Source II Principal : School :: President : a. Congress b. Country c. Leader d. White House c. Leader d. White House Source II - Entity Source II - Entity Leader – Role Leader – Role c. State c. State

13. Options should not be tricky. Boycott : Seller :: Strike : Boycott : Seller :: Strike : a. picket, b. union, c. buyer, d. company Buyer too closely associated with seller. Option will pull but not because of relationship.

14. Analogies Should Require an Understanding of Relationships Polio : Salk :: Rabies : a. Pasteur, b. Sabin, c. Lister, d. Curie Sources not useful. All of the people should have something to do with rabies.

15. Better Salk : Polio :: Pasteur : a. rabies, b. bacteria c. malaria, d. botulism Bacteria is a cause not a disease. Not same catergory. Plague might be better. Malaria is not a disease that Pasteur studied. Small pox would be better. Pasteur was concerned with food spoilage related to botulism.

16. Two Source I – Two Target I WWII & Germany : Hitler :: WWII & USA :  Roosevelt  Eisenhower  Patton  Churchill Ampersand plus colon – upper grades

17. Dates Independence : 1776 :: Emancipation : a. 1787, b. 1812, c. 1863, d. 1916 a. 1787, b. 1812, c. 1863, d. 1916 Source not useful. Anything other than a date would be a throw away option. Anything other than a date would be a throw away option. No analogy needed to answer the make the choice just match the date. No analogy needed to answer the make the choice just match the date.

18. Better but not perfect 1776 : Independence :: 1863 : 1776 : Independence :: 1863 : a. Emancipation a. Emancipation b. Prohibition b. Prohibition c. Lincoln c. Lincoln d. Civil War d. Civil War b. Not related to 1863 - replace c. Lincoln – not an event - replace

19. Example Marconi : Radio :: Gutenberg : a. Broadcasting b. The Bible c. Paper d. Movable type Replace Broadcasting Indicates lack of understanding of analogies rather than lack of understanding the relationship.

20. Example Individual : Loan :: Municipality : a. interest, b. bond, c. principal, d. money a. interest, b. bond, c. principal, d. money What is the relationship between an individual and a loan? What is the relationship between an individual and a loan?

21. Analogy Alternate Format United States : Constitution :: a. Persia : The of Omar Khayyam a. Persia : The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam b. England : Magna Carta c. Germany : Mein Kampf d. Iraq : Koran

22. Formats for Test Item Analogies  … is related to … in the same way that … is related to ???  A : B :: C : D  Which of these has the same relationship as … does to …?  How are … alike?

23. Answers should depend on understanding relationships

24. In Tests Beginning : End :: Go on sign : a. Zodiac sign b. Yield sign c. Equal sign d. Stop sign