Excluding Operation For Multiple-Choice Items In Computer-based Test

Multiple choice is a popular item type in computer-based or internet-based tests. Its implementation and operation is so easy and straightforward that nobody need more instructions. However, some skills we used in paper-based tests cannot be applied to computerized tests. Excluding is just one of these. In a paper-based test, one can draw a slight line on the options to indicate the option is not the favored answer. How to provide this facilitation in computerized tests? It's a good idea to use right mouse-clicking for this function. Thus, we have two operations for the choice option, one is left click to choose it as the answer, the other is right click to exclude it as a distractor. And an option will have three states: normal, chosen as answer, excluded as distractor. We can draw a table about these states and operations.

state operation output
normal left click chosen
normal right click excluded
chosen left click chosen
chosen right click excluded
excluded left click chosen
excluded right click normal

green arrows indicate left clicks

red arrows indicate right clicks

As shown in above table, whenever left-clicking an option will lead to choose it as the answer - keeping the choosing operation straightforward, while right-clicking has a bit more functions. When the option is excluded, right clicking on it again will change it to normal state, otherwise to excluded state. Maybe a simple state transition diagram will make things clear. All left-clicking arrows point to the chosen state and all right-clicking arrows point to the excluded state except one started from itself, the last one arrow give a chance to change the option from excluded to normal. The states, operations and transitions make a simple and powerful design for computerized multiple choice items.

Question 1: Why not change the option to normal when right-clicking an chosen option?

Answer: Because we never provide a way to undo the choosing, we don't want to give the user more things than excluding. All new things is excluding and undo the excluding.