structured essay question example

The Writing Guide

The First Thing
Step 1: Understanding the essay question

Identify task, content & limiting words in the essay question

Words, words, words..., academic writing webinar part 1.

Step 2: Critical note-taking
Step 3: Planning your assignment
Step 4a: Effective writing
Step 4b: Summarizing & paraphrasing
Step 4c: Academic language
Step 5: Editing and reviewing
Getting started with research
Working with keywords
Evaluating sources
Research file
Reading Smarter
Sample Essay
What, why, where, when, who?
Referencing styles
Writing Resources
Exams and Essay Questions

Essay topics contain key words that explain what information is required and how it is to be presented. Using the essay question below indentify task content & limiting words. Regardless of your topic or discipline, if you can identify these words in your essay topic, you can begin to consider what you will need to do to answer the question.

Task words : These are words that tell you what to do, for example “compare”, “discuss”, “critically evaluate”, “explain” etc.

Content words : These words in the essay topic will tell you which ideas and concepts should form the knowledge base of the assignment. Refer to subject specific dictionary or glossary.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

Before you scroll down to the next box, what can you unpack from this topic? What are you actually going to look for in a search tool like One Search? What are you supposed to do?

Content Words
Limiting Words
Context Words

Task words are usually verbs and they tell you what to do to complete your assignment.

You need to identify these words, because you will need to follow these instructions to pass the assignment. As you research and write your assignment, check these words occasionally to make sure you are still doing what you have been asked to do.

Here are some definitions of different academic task words. Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

Don't try to use them in your research - they aren't things to find, only things to do.

The task words from our sample question are:

Discuss means to "consider and offer an interpretation or evaluation of something; or give a judgment on the value of arguments for and against something"
Examine means to inspect something in detail and investigate the implications

So, you would need to give a short description of what essay writing is all about, and then offer an evaluation of the essay structure and the way it presents content.

Task Words Here are some definitions of different academic task words. Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

The content words are the "meat" of the question - these are things you can research.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content .

You will often be asked to talk about "the role" something plays or "processes", "importance", "methods" or "implementations" - but you can't really research these things just by looking for those words.

You need to find the keywords - the most concrete concepts - and search for those. The information you find about the concrete terms will tell you about the "roles" and "methods", the "process" or the "importance", but they probably won't use those words exactly.

One of the core skills of academic research is learning to extrapolate : to find the connections in the information you can find that will help you answer the questions which don't have clear, cut-and-dry answers in the books and articles.

So, the core keywords/concepts to research are:

"academic writing"
"higher education"
structure and content

Limiting words keep you focused on a particular area, and stop you from trying to research everything in the history of mankind.

They could limit you by:

Time (you may be asked to focus on the last 5 years, or the late 20th Century, for example)
Place (you may be asked to focus on Australia, or Queensland, or South-East Asia)
People groups (such as "women over the age of 50" or "people from low socio-economic backgrounds" or "Australians of Asian descent")
Extent (you are only to look at a particular area, or the details you believe are most relevant or appropriate).

In this example, you have two limits:

"higher education" is the industry focus. This could be expanded to include the tertiary or university sector.
Essays - we are concentrating on essay writing as the aspect of communication. Note that this is also a content word. There can be (and usually is) some crossover.

Sometimes it can help to add your own limits . With health sciences, you almost always limit your research to the last five or six years. Social sciences are not as strict with the date range but it's still a good idea to keep it recent. You could specifically look at the Australian context. You may decide to focus on the private sector within that industry.

With the question above you could limit yourself to only looking at first year university students.

Sometimes an assignment task will give you phrases or sentences that aren't part of the task at all: they exist to give you some context .

These can be ignored when you do your research, but you should read over them occasionally as you are writing your assignment. They help you know what the lecturer was thinking about (and wanted you to think about) when they set that task.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

You don't have to do anything with the first sentence of this question - but it does get you to think specifically about the "using essays to communicate knoweldge" - something that isn't mentioned in the task itself.

Obviously, whoever wrote the task wants you to think about the assignments as a form of writing and communication.

It is easy to get distracted and go off on tangents when doing your research . Use the context words to help you keep your focus where it should be.

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Knowledge Base
Research process
Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Published on 30 October 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 12 December 2023.

A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper , dissertation , or thesis .

All research questions should be:

Focused on a single problem or issue
Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
Specific enough to answer thoroughly
Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

How to write a research question, what makes a strong research question, research questions quiz, frequently asked questions.

You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question:

Choose your topic
Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field
Narrow your focus to a specific niche
Identify the research problem that you will address

The way you frame your question depends on what your research aims to achieve. The table below shows some examples of how you might formulate questions for different purposes.

Using your research problem to develop your research question

Note that while most research questions can be answered with various types of research , the way you frame your question should help determine your choices.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them. The criteria below can help you evaluate the strength of your research question.

Focused and researchable

Feasible and specific, complex and arguable, relevant and original.

The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .

A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis – a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.

As you cannot possibly read every source related to your topic, it’s important to evaluate sources to assess their relevance. Use preliminary evaluation to determine whether a source is worth examining in more depth.

This involves:

Reading abstracts , prefaces, introductions , and conclusions
Looking at the table of contents to determine the scope of the work
Consulting the index for key terms or the names of important scholars

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarised in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (‘ x affects y because …’).

A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses. In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.

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Module 4: Writing in College

Organically structured essays, learning objective.

Identify characteristics of organically structured essays

In high school, the SAT and other standardized testing formats value a very rigid, formulaic approach to essay writing. Some students who have mastered that form, and enjoyed a lot of success from doing so, assume that college writing is simply more of the same. The skills involved in a very basic kind of essay—often called the five-paragraph theme—are indispensable. If you’re good at the five-paragraph theme, then you’re good at identifying a clear and consistent thesis, arranging cohesive paragraphs, organizing evidence for key points, and situating an argument within a broader context through the introduction and conclusion.

In college, you will build on and move beyond those essential formulaic skills. Your college professors are looking for a more ambitious and arguable thesis, a nuanced and compelling argument, and real-life evidence for all key points, all in an organically structured paper.

Link to Learning

This resource from the UNC Writing Center explains how college writing differs from writing in high school.

Five Paragraph Essay vs. organic essay

Let’s take a look at two figures to contrast the standard five-paragraph theme and the organic college paper. Compare the five-paragraph model on the left with the organic model on the right.

Appropriate alternative text for this image can be found in the caption and/or body text.

Figure 1 . Figure 3.1 on the left shows the five-paragraph essay model. Figure 3.2 on the right shows the organic essay model.

The five-paragraph theme, outlined on the left, is probably what you’re used to: the introductory paragraph starts broadly and gradually narrows to a thesis, which readers expect to find at the very end of that paragraph. In this format, the thesis invokes three reasons why a statement is true. Each of those reasons is explained and justified in the three body paragraphs, and then the final paragraph restates the thesis before gradually getting broader. This format is easy for readers to follow, and it helps developing writers organize their points and the evidence that goes with them. That’s why you learned it.

The figure on the right represents a paper on the same topic that has the more organic form expected in college. The first key difference is the thesis. Rather than simply positing a number of reasons to think that something is true, the thesis in an organic essay puts forward an arguable statement: one with which a reasonable person might disagree. An arguable thesis gives the paper purpose. It surprises readers and draws them in. You hope your reader thinks, Huh. Why would the author come to that conclusion? and then feels compelled to read on. The body paragraphs, then, build on one another to carry out this ambitious argument.

In the classic five-paragraph theme it hardly matters which of the three reasons you explain first or second. In the more organic structure, each paragraph specifically leads to the next. The last key difference is seen in the conclusion. Because the organic essay is driven by non-obvious argument, the reader comes to the concluding section thinking, OK, I’m convinced by the argument. What do you, author, make of it? Why does it matter? The conclusion of an organically structured paper has a real job to do. It doesn’t just reiterate the thesis; it explains why the thesis matters. Some instructors will call this the “ So what?” question. Given what you’ve argued in your essay, so what? What the takeaway or the call to action?

The substantial time you spent mastering the five-paragraph form was time well spent; it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding with the more organic form without the organizational skills and habits of mind inherent in the simpler form. Your readers may not be impressed by obvious theses, loosely related body paragraphs, and repetitive conclusions. They want you to undertake an ambitious, independent analysis, one that will yield a thesis that is somewhat surprising and challenging to explain.

Understanding that college writing will demand more than a five-paragraph essay is the first step. But then what? How do writers move beyond the formulas that are so familiar and well-practiced and begin to develop organic writing?

A good starting place is to recharacterize writing as thinking. Experienced writers don’t figure out what they want to say and then write it. They write in order to figure out what they want to say. Experienced writers develop theses in dialog with the body of the essay. An initial characterization of the problem leads to a tentative thesis. Then, drafting the body of the paper reveals thorny contradictions or critical areas of ambiguity, prompting the writer to revisit or expand the body of evidence and then refine the thesis based on that fresh look. The revised thesis may require that body paragraphs be reordered and reshaped to fit the emerging thesis. Throughout the process, the thesis serves as an anchor point while the author wades through the morass of facts and ideas. The writer continues to read to learn more about his or her issue and refines his or her ideas in response to what is learned. The dialogue between thesis and body continues until the author is satisfied or the due date arrives, whatever comes first.

Consider the following example.

Your political science professor asks you to write a paper on legislative redistricting. The professor spent a lot of time in class talking about motivations for redistricting, state redistricting laws, and Supreme Court redistricting cases. You decide to write about those three topics using the following thesis:

Legislative redistricting is a complicated process that involves motivations for redistricting, state redistricting laws, and Supreme Court decisions.

Then you write a section on motivations, a section on state laws, and a section on Supreme Court decisions.

On the first draft of the paper, the professor comments: “This paper tries to cover too much and has no point to make. What’s the original point you are trying to defend? You are just restating everything we said about redistricting in class. Keep thinking.”

You realize at this point that you have tried to write a five-paragraph essay, and it doesn’t work. You go back to the drawing board. Your professor said you needed an arguable, original point and to avoid just restating everything from class. You think about what interested you most in the discussion of redistricting and remember talking about the Goldilocks principle of getting the balance of voters “just right.” You also remember that the professor mentioned a current case before the Supreme Court involving your home state.

You research the case and decide to revise your thesis to argue that your state has not achieved the Goldilocks balance but has erred on the side of excessive racial representation in some districts. Rather than using the body paragraphs of the paper to give three reasons for why that overrepresentation occurred, you decide to first give background on the racial divisions within the state, followed by profiles of two districts where over-representation of one race has occurred.

After writing those sections, you read further about the current status of the Supreme Court case and find that one of the districts you discuss in the paper isn’t involved in the case and that the Court’s decision has still not been handed down. You decide to rewrite one of the profile sections to focus on the district in the Supreme Court case. Then you add a section overviewing the current court case. You use your conclusion to make a recommendation to the Supreme Court about how the case should be decided.

Once the conclusion is drafted, you go back to the introduction and tighten the thesis to focus just on the two districts covered in the court case. You also revise the initial background section to include specific mention of those two cases. Now you are writing like a college writer, using writing as a tool for thinking and developing the paper in response to your growing understanding.

An organically structured argument is a beautiful thing. For one, it gives a paper authentic momentum. The first paragraph doesn’t just start with some broad, vague statement; every sentence is crucial for setting up the thesis. The body paragraphs build on one another, moving through each step of the logical chain. Each paragraph leads inevitably to the next, making the transitions from paragraph to paragraph feel wholly natural. The conclusion, instead of being a mirror-image paraphrase of the introduction, builds out the argument by explaining the broader implications. It offers new insight, without departing from the flow of the analysis.

A paper with this kind of momentum may read like it was knocked out in one inspired sitting. But don’t be fooled In reality, just like accomplished athletes and artists, masterful writers make the difficult look easy. As writer Anne Lamott notes, reading a well-written piece feels like its author sat down and typed it out, “bounding along like huskies across the snow.” However, she continues,

“This is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much.” [1]

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Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (New York: Pantheon, 1994), 21. ↵
Practice: Organically Structured Essays. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY: Attribution
Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Moving beyond the five-paragraph theme.. Authored by : Amy Guptill.. Provided by : The College at Brockport, SUNY. Located at : http://textbooks.opensuny.org/writing-in-college-from-competence-to-excellence/ . Project : Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence. . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Organic and Inorganic. Authored by : John D.. Located at : https://www.flickr.com/photos/john-pa/6425182999/ . License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Three-story theses and the organically structured argument. Authored by : Amy Guptill. Provided by : The College at Brockport, SUNY. Located at : http://textbooks.opensuny.org/writing-in-college-from-competence-to-excellence/ . Project : Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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How to Write the Document Based Question (DBQ)

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What’s Covered:

What is the document based question, steps to writing an effective dbq, how do ap scores affect my college chances.

If you’re taking a history AP exam, you’ll likely encounter the Document Based Question (DBQ). This essay question constitutes a significant portion of your exam, so it’s important that you have a good grasp on how best to approach the DBQ. In this post, we’ll cover what exactly a document based question is, and how to answer it successfully.

A Document Based Question (DBQ) is a measure of the skills you learned in your AP classes in regard to recalling history and analyzing related documents. These documents can be primary or secondary sources, and your responses are expected to be in the form of an essay. Your ability to relate the context of documents to concepts beyond the given text and creating meaningful connections between all your sources will help demonstrate your skills as a knowledgeable writer.

The number of documents for a DBQ varies from exam to exam, but typically will fall between five to seven documents. The following AP exams will require you to write a DBQ:

AP U.S. History

AP European History

AP World History

We’ve listed the formats for each exam below, and keep in mind that the number of documents is prone to changing from year to year:

Up to seven Documents
One hour recommended time (includes 15-minute reading period)
Up to seven Documents
25% of total exam score

With that in mind, let’s jump right into how to craft a strong DBQ response!

We’ve summarized how to write an effective DBQ into the following five steps:

1. Read the prompt first

Though you may be tempted to jump into the documents right away, it’s very important that you first look at what exactly the prompt is asking for. This way, when you eventually look at the documents, your focus will be narrower. A DBQ tests your reading comprehension and analysis skills more than the content itself, making it very important to understand your prompt thoroughly.

2. Skim the document titles

Each document will contain vital information regarding the context, and it’s important to scout key words regarding dates, authors, and anything pertaining to the general sense of what the documents are about. Skimming through your documents like this could save time and allow you to form a more structurally sound thesis.

Let’s take a look at the following graph and figure out how to skim the figure:

This document was in a real exam from the AP World History free response questions in 2019. It’s important to pay attention to data provided and what context can be drawn from it. In this case, we’re provided with a graph that displays the life expectancy of a country in relation to the GDP per capita of said country. Being able to skim this graph and notice the common trends in the data points could provide convenient information into the context of the document, without any further intensive reading.

For example, seeing how countries with a GDP below 4,000 to 5,000 have lower life expectancies already gives us a potential correlation between the two factors. We can use this information to start formulating a thesis, depending on what the prompt is specifically asking for.

Remember, just skim! Don’t worry about reading the entire document yet; this strategy can keep you calm and level-headed before tackling the rest of the document. Methods like this can make acing the AP World History DBQ less intimidating!

3. Formulate a tentative thesis

A thesis is a statement that should be proved and discussed upon. It’s important to have a strong thesis as the foundation of your DBQ, as it guides the rest of your response in relation to the context. Understanding the difference between weak and strong theses will be imperative to your success, so here is an example of a weak thesis:

“The Cold War originated from some scenarios of conflict between Soviets and some groups of oppressors.”

Such a thesis can be considered weak for its lack of specificity, focal point, and usability as a constructive tool to write further detail on the subject. This thesis does not take a clear stance or communicate to the reader what the essay will specifically focus on. Here’s how the same thesis can be restructured to be stronger and more useful:

“The Cold War originated from tense diplomatic conflicts relating to propaganda and conspiratorial warfare between the United States and the Soviet Union.”

The information that’s been included into the second thesis about the two groups involved with the Cold War gives you more room to build a structured essay response. In relation to the rubric/grading schema for this DBQ, forming a structurally sound thesis or claim is one of the seven attainable points. Being able to contextualize, analyze, and reason off of this thesis alone could provide for two to four points – this means that five out of seven of your points revolve around your thesis, so make sure that it’s strong! Doing all of this in your fifteen minute reading period is crucial as once this is set, writing your actual response will be much easier!

4. Actively read the documents

Simply reading a document doesn’t normally suffice for creating a well-written and comprehensive response. You should focus on implementing your active reading skills, as this will make a huge difference as to how efficient you are during your work process.

Active reading refers to reading with an intention to grab key words and fragments of important information, usually gone about by highlighting and separating important phrases. Annotations, underlining, and circling are all great ways to filter out important information from irrelevant text in the documents.

An example of where you might find important information via active reading is the description. Circle important names or dates to contextualize the document. If you still can’t find contextual value from the title, that’s totally fine! Just scope out the rest of the document in relevance to your thesis – that is, pinpoint the specific information or text that best supports your argument. Finding one or two solid points of interest from one document is usually enough to write about and expand upon within your essay.

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5. Make an Outline

If you like outlines, making one before writing your essay might prove helpful, just be aware of the time limit and act accordingly.

Start with your introduction, then work on the rest of your essay. This way, you can make sure your thesis is clear and strong, and it will help the graders form a clear view on what the general consensus of your paper is. Make sure to include evidence with your thesis within each paragraph and cite only relevant information, otherwise your citations could come across as filler as opposed to useful content. Every commentary or point you make should be tied in some way to the documents.

Format each body paragraph and organize your essay in a way that makes sense to you! The graders aren’t really looking at the structure of your essay; rather, they want to see that you analyzed the documents in a way that is supportive of your essay. As long as you have content from the documents which prove your thesis, the order or manner in which you present them doesn’t matter too much. What’s more important is that your essay is clear and comprehensive. As you write practice DBQs, try having someone else read your essays to make sure that the format is easy to follow.

Keep all these key details in mind as you construct your own DBQ response, and you’re well on your way to writing an effective essay!

Your chances of admission are actually not really impacted by your AP scores; however, the AP classes you take are more important than the exam scores themselves, meaning the impact of your AP scores isn’t as big as you think .

Instead, focusing on the AP classes on your transcript and the relevance of those classes to your future major is more impactful. For a further detailed understanding of the role AP classes play in regards to your college admissions, use CollegeVine’s free Admissions Calculator , which takes into account your GPA, standardized test scores, and more.

Additional Information

To dive deeper into DBQs, AP classes, and learning how to tackle each exam check out other resources at CollegeVine:

Acing the Document Based Question on the AP US History Exam
Acing the AP World History Document Based Question
Ultimate Guide to the AP U.S. History Exam
Ultimate Guide to the AP European History Exam
Ultimate Guide to the AP World History Exam

Structuring essays: the answer is in the question

Structuring an essay is one of the things most students are likely to struggle with. A lifesaver in this case is analysing the essay’s question: coming up with a solid structure is easier when you know exactly what it is you have to do. In turn, your structure can further support an effective answer to the question.

There are various ways of breaking down a question, but the following, adapted from ‘ Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University’ by Tom Burns and Sandra Sinfield, is especially useful as it starts with the basics.

Read the question carefully and distinguish the following components:

Topic: what should the essay be about?
Focus: which aspect of the topic do you need to focus on?
Limits: what things are in and out of its scope? You are never expected to write everything you know or can find on a topic.
Instruction : what sort of argument is the question telling you to make?

The topic, focus and limitations will tell you what you will write about. The key instruction word(s) will tell you how to do it.

Instructive or directive words are words like analyse, evaluate, discuss, to what extent…, etc. They tell you the approach you should adopt when answering your question, and so give you hints for the structure (i.e. whether you need to provide arguments and counter-arguments, an in-depth analysis of a point, provide context, etc.). Common directive words include:

Analyse: break the focus of the topic into parts and examine in detail to see how they fit together.
Discuss : this is a bit tricky because it could mean describe (a situation or process), or debate (present the evidence for and against a particular point).
To what extent : consider how far something is valid or accurate and the ways in which it is not proven and/or supported by evidence.

To bring this all together, consider the example essay question of “ To what extent do lecture recordings contribute to a positive student experience for undergraduate students? ”:

The instruction is “to what extent ” , so you need to provide and discuss findings, and their complications, and decide what they suggest for the topic at hand. There may be controversy, or aspects which have not been researched enough. In order to conclude the extent of the contribution of lecture recordings, you will need to present a balanced overview of the evidence for and against. You need to come to a clear conclusion that needs to be justified by the evidence you have presented.
The topic is “ lecture recordings ”
The focus is “ their contributions to a positive student experience“.
The limit is “ undergraduate students ” (note that there is no mention in the question of where these students are (e.g. location or educational system). This is where you would need to think critically about what evidence and points are relevant to this essay).

For more resources, visit the Study Hub Academic writing page, which also includes the Directive words handout with common directive words and their definitions.

Bibliography

Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2016) Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University: Fourth Edition . London: SAGE.

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STRUCTURED ESSAY QUESTIONS

Aug 08, 2014

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Techniques. Getting Started. Types. STRUCTURED ESSAY QUESTIONS. Structured essay questions require you to look at various factors and/or issues and weigh the factors in deciding if anyone of it is more or less important than the others. . Techniques. Marking. Weighing. Marking. Weighing.

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Techniques Getting Started Types STRUCTURED ESSAY QUESTIONS Structured essay questions require you to look at various factors and/or issues and weigh the factors in deciding if anyone of it is more or less important than the others. Techniques Marking Weighing Marking Weighing Getting started Types of SEQ

Types TYPES OF SEQ

Types TYPES OF SEQ • Type 1: 1 factor vs the others E.g. The most important cause of conflict in Sri Lanka was over the Language Policy. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

Types TYPES OF SEQ • Type 2: Discuss two factors • E.g. The Sinhala Only Policy was a more important cause of conflict than the University Admission Policy. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

Types TYPES OF SEQ • Type 3: Discuss three factors • E.g. Given below are three causes of conflict in Sri Lanka: • (a) Citizenship Rights Policy • (b) Sinhala Only Policy • (c) Resettlement Policy • Which do you think is the most important? Explain your answer.

Types TYPES OF SEQ • Type 4: Discuss an issue • E.g. Conflict in Sri Lanka is mainly caused by the LTTE. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

Getting Started GETTING STARTED - TOOLS

Getting Started The Mother Story 3 Teck Whye Secondary pupils have done extremely well in their O level examinations. As they are the best performers in the Combined Humanities examinations, the Press is here to interview them on their success story!!! Let’s go live to Teck Whye Secondary School.

Getting Started The Mother Story Jane, who is the person behind your success? There are many people behind my success. They include my mother, father, teachers, friends, uncle, aunt, my brother, my sister, my sister’s friends, my mother’s friend, my uncle’s friend and many more  Well, that does not tell me much. Maybe I should ask someone else.

Getting Started The Mother Story Jason, who is the person behind your success? I would say that my mother is behind my success. She took leave from work during my exam period; she made coffee for me; she stayed awake with me when I did my revision; she cooked good food for me. I love my mother.  [L2 – Description only] These are things Jason’s mother did. But where is the LINK between what his mother did and Jason’s success?

Getting Started The Mother Story Jody, who is the person behind your success? The person behind my success is my mother. She is very caring and kept telling me how capable I am. In doing so, she gave me much confidence and made me work harder. This led to my success.  This is a very good answer indeed.

The Mother Story Getting Started Question: The person behind my success is Factor: my mother. Story: She is very caring and kept talking to me about how capable I am. [Description] Explain: My mother is the person behind my success because by caring she gave me more confidence and encouraged me to work harder, leading to my success. [Link: How / In what way she helped]

Factor Question Story Explain Getting Started Square Approach • link from story to explanation (because) • link from explanation to question (leading to) • detailed (show • understanding of • content) • example will be good

Factor Question Story Explain Getting Started Square Approach The person behind my success is My mother is the person behind my success because by caring she gave me more confidence and encouraged me to work harder, leading to my success. My mother She is very caring and kept talking to me about how capable I am.

Getting Started Let’s See An Example – The University Admission Policy was the most important cause of conflict in Sri Lanka. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

Factor Story Explain Getting Started Example Question Yes I agree that the University Admission Policy was a very important cause of conflict. Before 1970, university admissions were based on merit and the exams were in English. The English educated Tamils benefited and there were more Tamils that qualified to enter university even though their population was smaller than the Sinhalese. The Sinhalese felt discriminated. After 1970, the government introduced new university admission criteria. Tamil students had to score higher than Sinhalese students to enter the same courses in the universities. A fixed number of places were also reserved for Sinhalese.This led toconflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils becauseuniversity admission was seen as a road to a bright future. Not being able to go into the university would cause the Tamils to have difficulty getting good jobs and it would affect their socialand economic positions. Thus, there was tension between the Tamils and Sinhalese leading to conflict

Marking • The common • mistakes Marking

Factor Question Story Explain “The Sinhala Only Policy was the main cause of conflict in Sri Lanka.” Do you agree? Explain your answer. Student 1: Yes, the Sinhala Only Policy was an important cause of conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. This led to conflict because it made the Tamils very unhappy with the Sinhalese as they felt discriminated against. Tensions thus developed between the two races, leading to conflict between them. Marking No story [No description of what happened / Un clear]

Factor Question Story Explain “The Sinhala Only Policy was the main cause of conflict in Sri Lanka.” Do you agree? Explain your answer. Student 2: Yes, the Sinhala Only Policy was an important cause of conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. When Sri Lanka was under British colonial rule, the British appointed more Tamils than Sinhalese into important positions in the government service because they could speak and write English better than the Sinhalese. After the British left, the Sinhalese government tried to improve the position of the Sinhalese in the government by introducing the "Sinhala Only" language policy. Sinhala was to be used as the official language of the country and government instead of English. The Tamils were only giver 3 years to learn Sinhala or be dismissed. Marking No explanation [No link to the cause of conflict]

“The Sinhala Only Policy was the main cause of conflict in Sri Lanka.” Do you agree? Explain your answer. Yes, I agree that the Sinhala Only policy was an important cause of conflict bet. The Tamils and Sinhalese. When Sri Lanka was under British colonial rule, the British appointed more Tamils than Sinhalese into important positions in the government service because they could speak and write English better than the Sinhalese.[Description or story ] As a result, the Sinhalese felt discriminated and because of this, there was tension between the Sinhalese and Tamils during the colonial period which later led to conflict. [Link].

“The Sinhala Only Policy was the main cause of conflict in Sri Lanka.” Do you agree? Explain your answer. After the British left, the Sinhalese government tried to improve the position of the Sinhalese in the government by introducing the "Sinhala Only" language policy. Sinhala was to be used as the official language of the country and government instead of English. The Tamils were only giver 3 years to learn Sinhala or be dismissed. [description or story] As a result of this, the Tamils felt discriminated as they would lose their jobs and would have difficulty doing business in Sri Lanka. Their Tamil culture would also be lost. The Tamils protested against this policy but they were broken up by Sinhalese supporters and violent clashes took place between the Sinhalese and Tamils. About 100 people died in the clashes and racial tension continued until Tamil was recognized as a language of administration in the northern and eastern provinces in 1966 where there were Tamil majority. [Link]

Techniques Do’s and Don’ts Techniques

Techniques 1. Answer the question Techniques

Factor Question Story Explain Techniques 2. Remember the square: Techniques

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4.4: Organically Structured Essays

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Learning Objective

Identify characteristics of organically structured essays

Link to Learning

This resource from the UNC Writing Center explains how college writing differs from writing in high school.

The figures below contrast the standard five-paragraph theme and the organic college paper. The five-paragraph theme, outlined on the left, is probably what you’re used to: the introductory paragraph starts broadly and gradually narrows to a thesis, which readers expect to find at the very end of that paragraph. In this format, the thesis invokes the magic number of three: three reasons why a statement is true. Each of those reasons is explained and justified in the three body paragraphs, and then the final paragraph restates the thesis before gradually getting broader. This format is easy for readers to follow, and it helps developing writers organize their points and the evidence that goes with them. That’s why you learned it.

In the classic five-paragraph theme it hardly matters which of the three reasons you explain first or second. In the more organic structure, each paragraph specifically leads to the next. The last key difference is seen in the conclusion. Because the organic essay is driven by an ambitious, non-obvious argument, the reader comes to the concluding section thinking, OK, I’m convinced by the argument. What do you, author, make of it? Why does it matter? The conclusion of an organically structured paper has a real job to do. It doesn’t just reiterate the thesis; it explains why the thesis matters. Some instructors will call this the so what? Given what you’ve argued in your essay, so what? What the takeaway or the call to action?

Five Paragraph Essay vs. organic essay

Compare the five-paragraph model on the left with the organic model on the right.

The substantial time you spent mastering the five-paragraph form was time well spent; it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding with the more organic form without the organizational skills and habits of mind inherent in the simpler form. But if you assume that you must adhere rigidly to the simpler form, you’re blunting your intellectual ambition. Your professors will not be impressed by obvious theses, loosely related body paragraphs, and repetitive conclusions. They want you to undertake an ambitious, independent analysis, one that will yield a thesis that is somewhat surprising and challenging to explain.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...sessments/5603

Consider the following example.

Legislative redistricting is a complicated process that involves motivations for redistricting, state redistricting laws, and Supreme Court decisions.

Then you write a section on motivations, a section on state laws, and a section on Supreme Court decisions.

You go back to the drawing board. Your professor said you needed an arguable, original point and to avoid just restating everything from class. You think about what interested you most in the discussion of redistricting and remember talking about the Goldilocks principle of getting the balance of voters “just right.” You also remember that the professor mentioned a current case before the Supreme Court involving your home state.

This is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much. [1]

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...sessments/5604 https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20430

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (New York: Pantheon, 1994), 21. ↵

Contributors and Attributions

Practice: Organically Structured Essays. Provided by : University of Mississippi. License : CC BY: Attribution
Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Moving beyond the five-paragraph theme.. Authored by : Amy Guptill.. Provided by : The College at Brockport, SUNY. Located at : textbooks.opensuny.org/writing-in-college-from-competence-to-excellence/. Project : Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence. . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Organic and Inorganic. Authored by : John D.. Located at : https://www.flickr.com/photos/john-pa/6425182999/ . License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Three-story theses and the organically structured argument. Authored by : Amy Guptill. Provided by : The College at Brockport, SUNY. Located at : textbooks.opensuny.org/writing-in-college-from-competence-to-excellence/. Project : Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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Structured vs. Unstructured Questions

When conducting surveys , there are two ways to approach a questionnaire: structured questions and unstructured questions. Some surveys will be best suited to structured questions, some to unstructured, and some may benefit from leveraging both question types.

Here’s a quick guide to help you understand the difference between structured vs. unstructured questions so you can get the most out of your surveys.

The primary difference between structured and unstructured questions is the type of data or feedback you’ll receive. When asking structured questions , you’ll receive quantitative responses – in other words, data that can be measured and used to quickly compare respondents’ answers to create quantifiable insights.

Unstructured questions will generally offer the opposite type of feedback: qualitative . If you’re looking for detailed, in-depth feedback, unstructured questions may be the way to go. That said, while they’ll give you deeper insights into individual respondents, you’ll have a harder time comparing respondents’ answers.

So, how do you know when to use structured vs. unstructured questions? Let’s break these question types down a bit more.

What Is a Structured Question?

Structured questions are closed-ended questions that allow for limited, quick, and quantitative responses. These types of questions can therefore be quickly answered by respondents and easily compared by survey analysts .

Benefits of Structured Survey Questions

Structured survey questions are often the best format for questionnaires – especially when working with a large sample size or when you need to be able to quickly compare responses and act on the feedback received.

Here are the main benefits of leveraging structured questions in surveys:

High Response Rate: Because structured questions take less time to answer than open-ended questions, you’ll likely get a higher response rate, as this format is easier on respondents.
Clarity & Accuracy: Structured questions provide clear instructions and are easy for respondents to understand and answer accurately.
Consistency & Comparability: By asking respondents the same questions with the same possible answers, you can easily compare responses with the help of consistent data.
Relevancy: By limiting responses, structured questions help ensure the data collected is relevant to your survey objectives.
Efficiency: Structured questions can be asked, answered, and analyzed quickly, which makes them an efficient way to collect and analyze large amounts of data.
Analysis: Structured questions make it easier to analyze data, which can help you identify trends, patterns, and insights that can inform decision-making. This includes comparing data from different groups or surveys using the same questions.

Types of Structured Questions

Structured questions can appear in many forms, including:

1. Multiple-Choice Questions: Respondents may select one or more answers.

Ex: From the following list of social media platforms, please select each platform you use to promote your events .

2. Single-Choice Questions: Respondents may select only one answer.

Ex: Which event format do you most prefer?

3. Dichotomous Questions: Respondents must choose between two options, such as “yes or no” or “true or false.”

Ex: True or false: Hybrid events are the best of both worlds.

4. Ordinal Scale Questions: Respondents must rank a list of options (in order of preference, importance, likelihood, etc.)

Ex: Please rank the following event locations in order of preference.

5. Interval Scale Questions: Respondents must rate their level of agreement or disagreement, typically on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, using terms like “strongly agree,” “neither agree nor disagree,” etc.

Ex: How strongly do you agree with the statement, “I made many valuable contacts during this event.” (Answers range from strongly agree to strongly disagree.)

6. Semantic Differential Questions: Though the name is complicated, the questions aren’t. Respondents are asked to rate a concept, experience, etc. using opposing adjectives, such as good/bad or happy/sad.

Ex: How likely are you to recommend this event to others? (Answers could include: definitely would recommend, likely, uncertain, unlikely, would not recommend.)

7. Matrix Questions: Respondents are asked to rate a series of items on a common scale – usually in a table or grid.

Ex: Please rate the following event experiences on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent:

Drawbacks of Structured Questions

While structured questions have many benefits, there are two major drawbacks worth noting.

Limited Responses: Sometimes, less is not more. If you’re looking for deep insights and an expansive understanding of respondents’ answers, you might be better served by unstructured questions. You might also miss out on great insights if respondents are limited in the opinions and insights they can share.
Leading or Biased Questions: Structured questions run the risk of influencing respondents’ answers if they’re phrased in a leading or biased way. For example, the question, “Most attendees say our event is the best in the industry. Do you agree?” assumes the event is the best – it’s up to respondents to say yes or no, but they’re being persuaded there’s a right answer.

What Is an Unstructured Question?

Unstructured questions, or open-ended questions, allow for the collection of qualitative data by asking questions with less limited answer formats. These types of questions often require “short answer” responses.

These types of questions allow respondents to address their views openly without being limited by answer format or choices.

Benefits of Unstructured Survey Questions

Unstructured questions can be a useful research tool for gathering rich insights. Here are some of the benefits of asking unstructured questions:

Flexibility: Unstructured questions allow respondents to express their views openly and in their own words, which can allow for more detailed, nuanced responses than structured questions.
Depth of Understanding: Unstructured questions can allow respondents to include details and opinions that offer deeper insights into their perspectives.
Context: Unstructured questions can be paired with other structured or unstructured questions to provide further insight into respondents’ answers.
New Ideas: Unstructured questions can generate new ideas that can be useful for turning survey feedback into actionable insights, product development, etc.
Expanded Knowledge Set: It’s easy to leave out valuable insights when asking structured questions, but you might not always know what’s missing. With unstructured questions, you can help expand your knowledge set and improve future surveys by asking respondents for insight into “what’s missing.”

Types of Unstructured Questions

Unstructured questions are always open-ended and seek unique responses. These questions can be approached from many angles depending on the type of information you’re looking for, including:

1. Attitude Questions: These are questions that allow respondents to provide free-form opinions about a topic.

Ex: What did you like most about our event this year?

2. Probing Questions: These are questions that ask respondents to clarify or expand on a previous response. Note: Probing questions can be asked after structured or unstructured questions.

Ex: Why did you select your answer above?

3. Hypothetical Questions: Respondents are asked to imagine a hypothetical scenario and describe their reaction.

Ex: If we held our event in Orlando, Florida, how would that change your experience?

4. Recommendation Questions: These questions allow respondents to offer recommendations for specific areas of interest.

Ex: What are two ways we could make this event more accessible?

Drawbacks of Unstructured Questions

Unstructured survey questions have several drawbacks – most of which can be combatted by asking structured questions instead. The drawbacks of open-ended questions include:

Lower Response Rate: Because unstructured questions can take a while to answer, you’ll likely get a lower response rate, as this format creates more work for respondents.
Lack of Clarity & Accuracy: Unstructured questions can be misunderstood or interpreted in different ways, leading to inconsistent responses.
Lack of Consistency & Comparability: Because there are no standard response options, it is difficult to compare responses or replicate the study across different groups or surveys.
Irrelevant or Incomplete Information: When respondents aren’t limited in their responses, they may submit answers that don’t directly answer questions or aren’t relevant to your study.
Difficult to Analyze: Without predefined responses, unstructured questions make it more difficult to analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and insights that can inform decision-making.

Making Your Choice: Structured vs. Unstructured Questions

Clearly, there isn’t one right answer when deciding whether to leverage structured or unstructured questions in your surveys. While the benefits of structured questions will often win out if you need quantitative, easily analyzed data, there’s something to be said for the deep insights to be gained from open-ended questionnaires.

For best results, you’ll likely need to strike a balance between the two in your questionnaire. While you might use structured questions most, carefully evaluate where an unstructured question can add value.

Check out these survey tools that can help make the questionnaire process easier!

Hope Salvatori

Hope is a Senior Content Marketing Associate who has been with Cvent for more than two years. She has 8 years of experience producing content for corporations, small businesses, associations, nonprofits, and universities. As a content professional, she has created content for a wide range of industries, including meetings and events, government and defense, education, health, and more.

Evaluation of Modified Essay Questions (MEQ) and Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) as a tool for Assessing the Cognitive Skills of Undergraduate Medical Students

Objectives:.

Developing and testing the cognitive skills and abstract thinking of undergraduate medical students are the main objectives of problem based learning. Modified Essay Questions (MEQ) and Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) may both be designed to test these skills. The objectives of this study were to assess the effectiveness of both forms of questions in testing the different levels of the cognitive skills of undergraduate medical students and to detect any item writing flaws in the questions.

A total of 50 MEQs and 50 MCQs were evaluated. These questions were chosen randomly from various examinations given to different batches of undergraduate medical students taking course MED 411–412 at the Department of Medicine, Qassim University from the years 2005 to 2009. The effectiveness of the questions was determined by two assessors and was defined by the question’s ability to measure higher cognitive skills, as determined by modified Bloom’s taxonomy, and its quality as determined by the presence of item writing flaws. ‘SPSS15’ and ‘Medcalc’ programs were used to tabulate and analyze the data.

The percentage of questions testing the level III (problem solving) cognitive skills of the students was 40% for MEQs and 60% for the MCQs; the remaining questions merely assessed the recall and comprehension. No significant difference was found between MEQ and MCQ in relation to the type of questions (recall; comprehension or problem solving x 2 = 5.3, p = 0.07).The agreement between the two assessors was quite high in case of MCQ (kappa=0.609; SE 0.093; 95%CI 0.426 – 0.792) but lower in case of MEQ (kappa=0.195; SE 0.073; 95%CI 0.052 – 0.338). 16% of the MEQs and 12% of the MCQs had item writing flaws.

Conclusion:

A well constructed MCQ is superior to MEQ in testing the higher cognitive skills of undergraduate medical students in a problem based learning setup. Constructing an MEQ for assessing the cognitive skills of a student is not a simple task and is more frequently associated with item writing flaws.

Introduction

The evaluation of the competence of undergraduate medical students is a very critical task, as in the future, these ‘to be physicians’ have to cater with human lives. ( 1 )

At undergraduate level there are three domains of skills to be evaluated i.e. Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor. Cognitive domain can be evaluated ( 2 ) at different levels including Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Modified bloom’s taxonomy ( 3 ) identified three levels of cognitive domain. In medical education, the major emphasis is on developing and evaluating the level III or problem solving skills, as most of the physician’s time is spent in analyzing patient’s problems.

Proper cognitive assessment tools reward the students for their higher cognitive skills and abstract thinking. ( 4 ) There are various methods to assess the knowledge domain which include Free response examinations (Long Essay Questions, Short answer Questions, Modified Essay questions), Multiple choice questions, Key feature questions, Self-assessment and peer-assessment. Each of these methods has its pros and cons and is addressed to assess different levels of bloom’s taxonomy. No single method of evaluation is superior to other and probably a reliable and valid evaluation requires a combination of these methods. ( 1 , 4 )

The Multiple choice questions are very popular in evaluation of undergraduate medical students. They are reliable and valid; moreover they are easy to administer to a large number of students. Well constructed MCQs have a greater ability to test knowledge and factual recall but they are less powerful in assessing the problem solving skills of the students. A large proportion of curriculum can be tested in a single sitting. The scoring is very easy and reliable using computer software, but the construction of good MCQs is difficult and needs expertise. Generally MCQs stimulate students to make a superficial and exam oriented study. ( 5 , 6 )

Modified essay questions are short clinical scenarios followed by series of questions with a structured format for scoring. They primarily assess the student’s factual recall but they also assess cognitive skills such as organization of knowledge, reasoning and problem solving. They also address the writing skills and even ethical, social and moral issues and attitudes. MEQs are more flexible and their value is somewhere between essay type questions and MCQ. But they need to be carefully constructed with provision of model answers and training to avoid inter-rater variability. ( 7 , 8 )

In a bird’s eye view, examination and evaluation are a source of anxiety and stress for the undergraduate medical students, but in reality it directs the students to study harder and improve their skills. Therefore, it is imperative not only to stimulate their cognitive skills during the teaching but also to frequently examine their higher mental and reasoning skills. ( 9 , 10 , 11 )

Our objectives were

To compare MCQ and MEQ in their ability to test different levels of the cognitive domain
To detect item writing flaws in construction of a question

Material and methods

Study design:.

Cross-sectional survey

50 MCQs and 50 MEQs were chosen randomly from the written examinations delivered to fourth year medical students attending undergraduate internal medicine course at the Department of Medicine, Qassim University. In the 50 MEQs, there were 104 stems. Questions were analyzed individually by two independent assessors as per the ‘preformed criteria’ to label a question with Level I, II or III of the cognitive domain. Questions belonged to various final and midterm examination from 2005 to 2009.

Ethical approval:

No ethical approval was required as no human subjects were involved in the research

Assessment:

Each question was analyzed separately to

Level I Knowledge (recall of information including direct questions asking to check the factual recall, containing words like enumerate; list etc.). Level II Comprehension and application (ability to interpret data; questions including lab data or containing words like analyze). Level III Problem – solving (Use of knowledge and understanding in new circumstances, including scenario based questions which contain case description and lab data asking students to initially make a diagnosis and then to suggest next appropriate investigation; management modalities; counseling etc)

Following were regarded as item writing flaws

Error in formatting, spelling, grammar
Technical errors
Double negatives
Cascading stems
Absolute options
Ambiguous stems
Repetition of information

The analysis was done by each assessor as per the Performa shown in table (1) .

MCQ /MEQ evaluation form.

Statistical analysis:

Software ‘SPSS 15’ was used for data entry, analysis and interpretation. Kappa test was used to determine the agreement between the two assessors using ‘Med Calc’ software.

Total of 50 questions with 104 stems were included. Analysis is shown in table (2) .

Classification of Questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy.

Total of 50 questions were evaluated. Analysis is shown in table (2) .

Questions were representing different disciplines of Medicine ( graph 1 ). No significant difference was found between MEQ and MCQ in relation to the type of questions (recall; comprehension or problem solving ( x 2 = 5.3, p = 0.07).

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Object name is ijhs5_1p039f1.jpg

The analysis of item writing flaws is shown in table (3) .

illustrates the item flaws of both MEQs and MCQs.

The results of this study show that Multiple choice question is a better test of cognitive skills than the Modified essay question as 60% of the MCQs tested the higher cognitive skills and only 40% of MEQs addressed the cognitive level III of modified Bloom’s taxonomy.

Although when the proportions of the two forms of questions addressing the different levels of cognitive domain were compared, there was no significant statistical difference among the level of cognition tested, as p-value was 0.07. It is also inferred that constructing an MEQ might be technically more difficult than an MCQ as item-writing flaws in MEQs were 16% as compared to MCQ only 12%.

The results of our study are consistent with Edward JP et al 12 who also found MCQ to be superior in testing the level 3 of cognitive domain. The results do not coincide with those of Irwin WG et al 13 who found MEQ to be superior in testing the highest level cognitive skills but they did not choose the questions randomly rather they compared the whole examination papers of various years. They suggest that both MCQ and MEQ may be designed beforehand to test any particular level of Bloom’s taxonomy. Construction of MEQ needs expertise and training, model answers of such questions need meticulous consideration. ( 14 , 15 )

It also seems that some specialty examiners tend to put more stress on Level III testing or it is easier to design such questions for some specialties as most of level III questions in both MCQ and MEQ belonged to cardiology.

It is quite understandable that conduction of a proper assessment is not only dependent on the cognitive aspect of question, but there are so many factors which play a role like, reliability, content and construction validity, financial and human resources.

At the department of Medicine all the questions are constructed by the faculty members then these are put forward to a ‘question review committee’ and after its approval the questions are introduced into the question bank. It was observed during the period of the study that the content and the construction of the questions improved over the years but still individual errors occurred.

The two confounders that played a major role in deciding the level of cognitive domain addressed by each specific type of question were (i) The type of examination to which the question belonged i.e. Midterm or Final (ii) The specialty of the question like cardiology, neurology etc. It may be inferred that in final exams the examiners tend to put the type of questions that address the highest level of cognitive domain (level III) as 80 % of MCQs belonged to the final exams while all MEQs were taken from the Midterm exam papers. This may be one drawback of our study. The total number of questions from which the sample was taken was quite limited which accounts for the small sample size in this study but as more and more questions will be incorporated into the question bank of the department further validation studies will be required.

MCQs were found to be testing the level III of cognitive domain more frequently than MEQs. Training in formulating MCQs and MEQs, more so for MEQs is needed to assure achieving level III of cognitive domain and avoid item writing flaws.

Hmong Social Structure

This essay about Hmong culture examines the distinct social structures, spiritual beliefs, and artistic traditions of the Hmong people, originating from the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. It highlights how Hmong society is organized around clans, each playing a crucial role in supporting its members through various life events. The essay also discusses the significance of shamanism and spirituality in mediating between the physical and spiritual worlds, crucial for the community’s wellbeing. Additionally, it explores the vibrant tradition of Hmong textile arts as a medium for preserving and narrating cultural heritage. The essay addresses the challenges faced by the Hmong in maintaining their cultural identity amid globalization and migration, particularly as younger generations adapt to new cultural environments while striving to preserve traditional practices. It concludes by acknowledging the resilience of the Hmong community in safeguarding their rich cultural legacy against the pressures of modernity.

How it works

The Hmong populace, an ethnic cohort originating from the mountainous terrains of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, possesses a diverse cultural legacy shaped by their extensive history of migration and adaptation. This discourse delves into the distinct facets of Hmong culture, with a focal point on their societal frameworks, metaphysical convictions, and the contemporary challenges they confront.

Traditionally, Hmong society revolves around clans, where familial lineage assumes a pivotal role in social structuring. Each clan, comprising kinfolk sharing a common surname, serves as a bastion of social support, ensuring solidarity during exigencies such as ailment, pecuniary strife, or dispute resolution.

The essence of familial bonds permeates all spheres of existence, from jubilant festivities to solemn occasions like obsequies, which are ornate manifestations deeply entrenched in Hmong spiritual ethos.

Spirituality and shamanism stand as cornerstones of Hmong ethos. The Hmong subscribe to a spiritual realm coexisting with the corporeal, influencing myriad facets of everyday life. Shamans, revered as intermediaries bridging these realms, wield profound influence within the community by assuaging maladies, shepherding departed spirits, and redressing otherworldly dilemmas impacting the clan. This spiritual praxis transcends individual well-being, embracing communal welfare as its quintessence.

Culturally, the Hmong are renowned for their resplendent textiles and meticulous needlecraft, which encapsulate profound cultural narratives and symbolism. Hmong needlework, frequently integrated into traditional garb, serves as a conduit for preserving and recounting ancestral tales across generations. Beyond mere aesthetic allure, these textiles embody a mode of communication and serve as repositories of historical lore and folklore, thereby constituting an integral facet of personal and communal Hmong heritage.

Nonetheless, the Hmong populace grapples with formidable challenges in the contemporary milieu. The encroachments of globalization and assimilation into hegemonic cultures imperil the sanctity of their age-old customs. Many Hmong enclaves, particularly those transplanted to Western realms like the United States, contend with the delicate balancing act of safeguarding cultural legacy amidst the exigencies of acculturation. This conundrum is acutely felt among younger cohorts, who tread a precarious tightrope between ancestral traditions and the socio-cultural milieu of their adoptive homelands.

Furthermore, economic vicissitudes and political transformations in their native abodes have wrought profound impacts on their way of life. Across Southeast Asia, numerous Hmong settlements have faced displacement from ancestral territories, disrupting age-old agrarian routines and deeply ingrained spiritual connections to the land. These transformations pose existential threats to the Hmong ethos, compelling both community leaders and external proponents to explore avenues for cultural preservation.

In summation, Hmong culture constitutes a vibrant mosaic interwoven with threads of filial allegiance, metaphysical profundity, and artistic expression. Despite the myriad tribulations engendered by modernity and migration, the indomitable spirit of the Hmong endures. They adapt, metamorphose at times, yet fundamentally endeavor to uphold the quintessence of Hmong identity amidst an ever-evolving panorama. Their ongoing odyssey epitomizes not merely a struggle for cultural survival but also a testament to the fluidity of cultural identity in the contemporary epoch.

For scholars and academics delving deeper or seeking bespoke scholarly resources on this subject, specialized services such as those proffered by EduBirdie may furnish tailored aid to augment comprehension and scholarly inquiry.

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Hmong Social Structure
Hmong Social Structure. The Hmong populace, an ethnic cohort originating from the mountainous terrains of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, possesses a diverse cultural legacy shaped by their extensive history of migration and adaptation. This discourse delves into the distinct facets of Hmong culture, with a focal point on their societal ...

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Hmong Social Structure

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