Shape: question block

The questions at the end of each part of a study document: a recall question and a question that applies the idea. Each is tagged by the objective it tests, and its answer stays folded until the learner has tried.

Skeleton

### Check yourself

1. **O1** <a recall question: one key idea, answered without the text>
   <details><summary>Answer</summary> the answer, then a sentence on why </details>
2. **O2** <an application or inference question on the same idea>
   <details><summary>Answer</summary> the answer, then why </details>
3. **O2** <a multiple-choice item, if any: the stem first, then the options>
   - a. <option built from a known error>
   - b. <the key>
   - c. <option built from another known error>
   <details><summary>Answer</summary> b, because ...; a is the error of ...; c ... </details>

The fold may also be an Obsidian callout (> [!answer]-) or a Quarto callout with collapse="true". A question may also be a callout that holds its own answer, > [!QUESTION]- Check: <question>, the form of the S7 vault.

The items

Item	Rule	Grade	Evidence
recall question	one key idea of the part, answered without the text	measured (core)	retrieval prompts
higher-order question	at least one per part: application or inference on the same idea	measured: testing transfers to application and inference questions (d = 0.32), and higher-order quizzes raised higher-order scores	practice questions, strands 0 and 1
objective tag	the id of the objective the item tests	convention, untested	lesson, alignment
multiple-choice item	options built from known errors, three or four, no "all of the above" or "none of the above"	measured that competitive options induce retrieval; three options are best for tests, not shown for learning; the banned options are a convention of the item-writing guidelines	practice questions, strands 2 and 3
folded answer	the key, then why; for a multiple-choice item, why each wrong option is wrong	measured that more informative feedback has larger effects; explaining wrong options is untested	practice questions, strand 4
answer placement	folded beside its question, opened after a written attempt	convention, untested: peeking before answering lowered learning in old studies	practice questions, strand 5

• What the evidence does not support: a rule preferring short answer over multiple choice in classrooms, or one fixing immediate or delayed feedback (timing made no average difference, g = 0.03). Nor does it support a rule that facts must come before application (shapes and checks).
• Generated questions enter only after a person has read them: their quality is mixed, and learning from them was not found tested (practice questions, strand 6).

How it derives from the topic

A question block is a part of a document, not a document: it is the core note's Check yourself, given rules for its items. It has no title or summary of its own, so it is checked inside the document that holds it.

Checked by

Check	What it verifies	Kind
lesson	each item has a folded answer, and its objective exists	exact
questions	the same rules in a note, which states no objectives: folded answers	exact
questions	traps carry a Why not	heuristic, a warning, as in a lesson
lesson	an answer holds a reason, more words than a bare key	heuristic
lesson	a multiple-choice item has three or four options, none "all" or "none of the above"	heuristic
judgment	whether a part has an item beyond recall: a question's level depends on what was taught	judgment

An example of two blocks, one with a multiple-choice item: the binary search lesson.

See also

Shapes, the folder this shape heads; the lesson and the study guide that hold it.