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Fill-In Short Answer Tests

Teachers use fill-in the blank questions to measure whether students are familiar with terms, historical figures and places, and dates. These questions are typically objective. Short answer questions are used to assess whether students understand subjective concepts. Although short answer and fill-in the blank questions slightly differ, the same strategies can be utilized to answer them.

Read the Questions Carefully

Carefully read the questions to determine what you’re answering. Separate complex questions into short sections that can be reviewed individually, and underline important phrases and words.

Try To Find Clues

Review verb tenses and grammatical structure to decipher question clues. You can determine whether the answer is a verb if it makes sense with “to” placed before it and a noun if it makes sense with “the” placed before it. Also try to determine whether the answer is plural or singular. Closely monitor other questions to locate contextual clues.

Don't Analyze the Questions to Death

Refrain from overanalyzing questions since it will drive you crazy. Pay closer attention to contextual hints.

Watch the Blanks

The length and quantity of blanks often provide hints about answers. If a question contains multiple blanks, the answer is more than likely two or more words.

Figure Out What Information is Being Requested

Try to determine whether the professor is seeking dates, technical concepts, names, or events when answering short answer and fill-in the blank questions. Also determine whether you’re being asked to summarize, describe, or compare information.

Try And Make An Informed Guess

Analyze key phrases and terms and try to recall lectures when the professor used them. What concepts were discussed? If you cannot remember when these words and phrases were used, analyze grammatical structure and context to make an educated guess.

Over answer

When two answers seem correct, use both, and write a short explanation justifying your response within the test margins. Time permitting, provide detailed explanations for questions you’re unsure of.

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