Canvas

Classic Quiz Question Types

There are numerous types of quiz questions you can create within your Classic Quiz. First, click First Steps below if you need instructions on how to create a Canvas quiz and begin adding questions.

First Steps

First Steps

In order to start creating your quiz question, you will have to first enter your Canvas course and then:

Click on Quizzes in the left menu.
Click + Quiz in the top right corner.
A pop-up menu will appear where it will ask you to select either Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes. Select Classic Quizzes.
Click on the Questions tab at the top of the page.
Click + New Question.

Click on an option below to see detailed instructions on how to create the question type in your quiz.

Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice

Select the question type to be Multiple Choice from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box.
Scroll down to the Answers section. In each Answer Text field, enter your possible answers in the order that you wish for them to appear (Note: if the Shuffle Answers quiz setting is enabled, then the order of the answers will be randomized for each student and this order does not matter).
To select the correct answer, hover your mouse over it and click on the green arrow that appears. The correct response should now say "Correct Answer" next to it.

Additional options:

To add another possible answer, click on + Add Another Answer.
To delete an answer, click the trash icon next to it.
To edit an answer using a rich content editor, click on the pencil icon next to it.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you have filled in all answer boxes, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

True/False

True/False

Select the question type to be True/False from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box.
Scroll down to the Answers section. You will see the two possible answers of True and False. Hover your mouse over the correct answer and select the green arrow.

Additional options:

In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Fill In The Blank

Fill In The Blank

Fill in the blank questions ask students to type their answers in a text box. They are best used for very short answers, because if a student's answer doesn't completely match one of the correct responses, it will be marked as incorrect. Note: Fill in the blank answers are not case sensitive, so students will only get the question incorrect is if they leave the text box blank, they spell the answer incorrectly, or they enter an answer that is not one of the correct options you gave.

Select the question type to be Fill In the Blank from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box (see next step for tips).
When writing your question, you can ask a question, create an open-ended sentence, or create a blank in the question by underlining several spaces to appear as "_______" and have students enter the answer in the text box generated. Student view of the question:
Scroll down to the Answers section and enter all possible correct answers separately into the Answer Text fields.
You can add more versions of the correct answer by selecting + Add Another Answer. You can add as many versions of the correct answer as you need, taking into account the possible differences in ways that students may write the answer. Note: Fill in the blank answers are not case sensitive, so students will only get the question incorrect is if they leave the text box blank, they spell the answer incorrectly, or they enter an answer that is not one of the correct options you gave.

Additional options:

To delete and possible answer, click on the trash icon next to it.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Fill In Multiple Blanks

Fill In Multiple Blanks

Fill In Multiple Blanks questions allow you to combine more than one fill in the blank question into a single quiz question. Partial credit will be awarded if students answer some blanks correctly and others incorrectly.

Select the question type to be Fill In Multiple Blanks from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box (see next step for tips).
As you type your question, where you want to have a blank for students to enter an answer, place a reference word of your choice with no spaces surrounded by square brackets. For example, [answer1] or [animal] will appear as blanks. Note: be careful not to use square brackets for ANY other purpose in your question text, as they will be treated as blanks.
Once you place a reference word in square brackets, a drop-down menu will populate to the right of Show Possible Answers for where you can select which reference word you are entering possible answers for.
For EACH reference word, enter all possible correct answers to the corresponding blank separately into the Answer Text fields.
You can add more versions of the correct answer by selecting + Add Another Answer. You can add as many versions of the correct answer as you need, taking into account the possible differences in ways that students may write the answer. Note: Fill in the blank answers are not case sensitive, so students will only get the question incorrect is if they leave the text box blank, they spell the answer incorrectly, or they enter an answer that is not one of the correct options you gave.

Additional options:

To delete a possible answer, click on the trash icon next to it.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Multiple Answers

Multiple Answers

Multiple answer questions are like multiple choice questions, except that more than one answer can be marked as correct. Each correct response awards a point value equal to the total point value divided by the number of correct answers. This same point value is deducted if an incorrect response is selected.

Select the question type to be Multiple Answers from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box.
Scroll down to the Answers section. In each Answer Text field, enter your possible answers in the order that you wish for them to appear (Note: if the Shuffle Answers quiz setting is enabled, then the order of the answers will be randomized for each student and this order does not matter).
To mark which answer(s) are correct, hover your mouse over the answer and click on the green arrow that appears. The correct responses should now say "Correct Answer" next to them.

Additional options:

To add another possible answer, click on + Add Another Answer.
To delete an answer, click the trash icon next to it.
To edit an answer using a rich content editor, click on the pencil icon next to it.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you have filled in all answer boxes, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Multiple Dropdowns

Multiple Dropdowns

Multiple Dropdown questions ask students to use dropdown menus to select which option best answers the question or completes the statement. Partial credit will be awarded if students answer some dropdowns correctly and others incorrectly.

Select the question type to be Multiple Dropdowns from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box (see next step for tips).
As you type your question, where you want to have a dropdown menu for students to enter an answer, place a reference word of your choice with no spaces surrounded by square brackets. For example, [answer1] or [animal] will appear as blanks. Note: be careful not to use square brackets for ANY other purpose in your question text, as they will be treated as blanks.
Once you place a reference word in square brackets, a drop-down menu will populate to the right of Show Possible Answers for where you can select which reference word you are entering possible answers for.
For EACH reference word, in each Answer Text field enter your possible answers in the order that you wish for them to appear in the dropdown menu (Note: if the Shuffle Answers quiz setting is enabled, then the order of the answers will be randomized for each student and this order does not matter).
To add more options to the dropdown menu, select + Add Another Answer.
To mark which answer(s) are correct, hover your mouse over the answer and click on the green arrow that appears. The correct responses should now say "Correct Answer" next to them.

Additional options:

To delete a possible answer, click on the trash icon next to it.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Matching

Matching

Matching questions ask students to select from a dropdown menu which answer on the right matches the word/phrase on the left.

Select the question type to be Matching from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question instructions in the text box (no need to list the items to be matched).
Scroll down to the Answers section. In each Matching left side field, enter the text that will always appear on the left in the order that you wish for them to appear.
In each Matching right side field, enter the correct matching answer for the corresponding matching left side next to it. The text in these fields is what students will select via dropdown menu.
To add more matching pairs, select + Add Another Answer.

Additional options:

In the Additional Match Possibilities (distractors) box, you can add additional words/phrases that do not match any left side option, therefore acting as additional wrong answers that students will have to try to avoid. Add only one additional answer per line.
To delete a match pair, click on the trash icon next to it.
In the red boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student did not do that match correctly.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Numerical Answer

Numerical Answer

Numerical Answer questions accept only numerical answers within a margin of error.

Select the question type to be Numerical Answer from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box.
Scroll down to the Answers section. In the first dropdown menu, select the format that you want and then enter the correct answer. There are 3 options for how the question will be marked:
1. Exact Answer: enter the exact answer with an allowed margin error
2. Answer in the Range: enter a maximum and minimum value, between which the answer will be marked as correct
3. Answer with Precision: enter the exact answer with a precision number, which is how many number digits are expected in the answer

Additional options:

To add any additional correct answers, click on + Add Another Answer.
To delete an answer, click the trash icon next to it.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below each answer, you can enter comments that will appear if the student selected that specific answer.
In the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.

Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Formula Question

Formula Question

Formula questions act like numerical answer question, where a numerical answer is required. However, formula questions are set up using a formula so that students will be asked the question with different numbers and different correct answers.

Select the question type to be Formula Question from the dropdown menu. Note: In the top of the text box where you enter your quiz question, there is a link titled Need help?. Select this for further instructions on how this question works, as well as a list of advanced functions that can be used in your formula.
Select the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box. When writing your question, for any variable that you want to be a random value for each student, surround a variable of your choice by square brackets (e.g. [x], [length]). Canvas will recognize the variable surrounded by the brackets and generate a new set of options to enter.
Scroll down to the Variable Definitions section and input the maximum and minimum values that each variable will appear as, as well as how many decimal places it will have.
Click Recompute to have an example value that satisfies your conditions appear to the right. You can click Recompute again to see other possible values that this variable may have.
Next, in the Formula Definition section, type your formula in the box, including the variable(s) that you already defined, then click Save (click Need help? at the top of the question for a list of advanced functions and how to type them into your formula). Be sure to not include any equals signs or square brackets in your formula.
Select the number of decimal places that you want the produced answer to round to.
Once the formula definition is created, the resulting correct answer for your current example value will appear. You can go back to the Recompute button and examine the calculated variable progress through the formula and create the result to ensure accuracy.
After saving your formula definition, the Generate Possible Solutions section will appear, where you can select how many random values your variable will have and the margin of error in which students will be marked correctly. Margins of error can be a percentage or a point value up to 3 decimals places
Click Generate to generate a list of random numbers that you variable will select from, as well as their corresponding correct answers.
Additional option: in the coloured boxes with the ellipses inside below all of the answers, you can enter general comments that will appear depending on whether the student got the question correct or incorrect.
Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Essay Question

Essay Question

Essay questions function as a free response question, allowing students to enter words, equations, photos, and/or videos into a rich content text box. They can therefore be used for a variety of purposes (not just for essay type questions).

Select the question type to be Essay Question from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box.
Additional option: below the text box that you typed your essay question in, click on the box with the ellipsis inside to enter a comment that will automatically be shown to students when they submit their quiz
Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

File Upload Question

File Upload Question

File upload questions allow students to upload a file from their computer as their response. Note: unlike files uploaded to a Canvas assignment, file upload quiz questions do not allow you to view the file directly in Canvas and must instead be downloaded before viewing. All files can be downloaded at once from the quiz page. This will generate a .zip file containing all submitted files, with each file name including the student's name as a prefix.

Select the question type to be File Upload Question from the dropdown menu.
Set the amount of points the question is worth.
Type out the question text in the text box. Note: file upload questions cannot restrict file types, so you must include in your question which file types will be accepted.
Additional option: below the text box that you typed your essay question in, click on the box with the ellipsis inside to enter a comment that will automatically be shown to students when they submit their quiz
Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the question to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

Text (no question)

Text (no question)

Text (no question) questions cannot be interacted with and do not have any marks associated with them. They function like a spacer, and can be used to introduce a following set of questions.

Select the question type to be Text (no question) from the dropdown menu.
Type out the desired text in the text box.
Once you are finished, select Update Question to add the spacer to your quiz.
Once you have completed the quiz questions, at the bottom of the page select Save or Save & Publish.

For more information, contact the CTL Helpdesk.

UBC Okanagan Centre for Teaching and Learning Canvas Directory

Updated November 2020