Learn how to add a short-answer question.

The reader is allowed to type in an open-ended answer. The answer must contain one or more keywords from a list, in order to be marked as correct. Short answer questions are available for paid authors only.

Steps to Add a Short Answer Question

  1. Go to the toolbox on the right-hand side of the screen and click on the Questions button. 
    The Insert/Edit Questions window will appear.
  2. Enter a Title for the question set. This title will appear as the heading for the questions module.
    You can also switch to HTML Source Mode when editing the question title. This allows you to insert custom HTML for advanced formatting, such as inline styles, spans, or embedded elements.

  3. Select how the users receive the answers. Response:
    • Score only: Displays a score for the user after the answers are submitted. 
    • Score and answer report: Displays a detailed score report showing the correct and incorrect answers. 
    • Do nothing: Neither scores nor answers are given.
  4. Click on the Short Answer button to add to your questions component. You can add as many questions as you like.
  5. Fill in the question text. You will need to specify the correct keyword(s) along with the question. Basically, if any of those keywords exist in the user's answer, then the question is marked correct. If you require more than one keyword to exist in the answer, use the Require extra keyword button.

For each question, you can apply the following additions:

  • Add media: Attach an image or an audio file as part of the question. Images can provide visual context (such as diagrams or photos), while audio clips can add spoken instructions, pronunciations, or sound effects, making questions more interactive and accessible.
  • Add answer explanation: Displays further information/explanation after the questions are submitted. The explanation will appear in both cases: whether the question is answered correctly or incorrectly, and will appear under the answer choices.
  • Add reference: Guide the user to an external source through a "Learn more" button. This will appear right below the explanation (explained above) once the user's answers have been submitted.
  • Score weight: You can assign different weights for different questions in Kotobee Author. The default weight is 1. If all questions have the same score weight, this makes all the questions equal in terms of importance. In general, more important questions should receive higher score weights.
  • Answer lines: The number of lines to display in the answer textfield.
  • Require extra keyword: Add an additional keyword field to test for an additional keyword.
  • Add to Question Bank: Save the question to your personal question bank so you can easily reuse it in other quizzes or ebooks without recreating it from scratch. Note: This option only appears after you enter the question text.

6. Click on Create to finalize the questions portion.

Previewing your Question

Use the Preview tab in the Insert/Edit Questions window to see exactly how your question will appear to readers before saving.