Free response is a type of question used in tests in education, workplace, and government. Most free response questions ask or require the test-taker to state a belief, opinion, or write a short essay and support it with facts, examples, or other evidence. However, few tests solely rely on these types of problems, and tend to work in conjunction with other types, such as multiple choice. Free response questions generally test more than straight knowledge and ask for a "big picture" type of response (see example). Also, they usually allow the taker to choose an area in which they are familiar.
Free-response items are distinct from fixed-response items in that examiners must supply a full and independent response. There are no answer options from which to choose. Free-response items are typically discouraged from examinations because of the difficulty, bias, and time effort required in grading them. However, some general guidelines for developing these questions include the following:
The shorter the answer required for a given essay item, generally the better. More objectives can be tested in the same period of time, and factors such as verbal fluency, spelling, etc., have less of an opportunity to influence the grader. 1)Help the examiners focus their answers by giving them a starting sentence for their essay. 2) Make sure questions are sharply focused on a single issue. Do not give either the examiner or the grader too much freedom in determining what the answer should be.
Supporters argue that this type of question on tests is that it gives a better indication of the competence and intelligence of the test taker than other more standardized responses, which are claimed to often only measure test-taking ability. However, critics charge that the quality of a free response answer is often determined more by ability with the language in which it is given than competence or intelligence.
Read more about Free Response: Example, Famous Free Response Tests
Famous quotes containing the words free and/or response:
“The American adolescent, then, is faced, as are the adolescents of all countries who have entered or are entering the machine age, with the question: freedom from what and at what price? The American feels so rich in his opportunities for free expression that he often no longer knows what it is he is free from. Neither does he know where he is not free; he does not recognize his native autocrats when he sees them.”
—Erik H. Erikson (1904–1994)
“Perhaps nothing in all my business has helped me more than faith in my fellow man. From the very first I felt confident that I could trust the great, friendly public. So I told it quite simply what I thought, what I felt, what I was trying to do. And the response was quick, sure, and immediate.”
—Alice Foote MacDougall (1867–1945)