State of New Jersey Department of Education

Assessment in the Standards Movement: High School Samples

A multiple choice question and open-ended question from TIMSS Sample Tests are listed below. You can see that each question requires thinking, though in a different way.

A school club is planning a bus trip to the wildlife park. A bus which will hold up to 45 people will cost 600 centros (units of money) and admission tickets cost 30 centros each.

If the cost of the trip, including bus and admission ticket, is set at 50 centros per person, what is the minimum number of people who must participate to ensure that these costs are covered?
A. 12
B. 20
C. 30
D. 45
Answer = C (p. 18 of the 195 page pdf file)

Using the set of axes below, sketch a graph which shows the relationship between the height of a person and his/her age from birth to 30 years. Be sure to label your graph, and include a realistic scale on each axis.
[HERE THERE IS A BLANK GRAPH READY FOR THE STUDENT TO WORK ON]
(p. 22 of the 195 page pdf file)
See NJPEP's HSPA language arts literacy and mathematics tutorials for more examples.
Inquire Further

The Virginia Web site Raising SOL Test Scores Through Improved Classroom Assessment guides you through the development of questions based on increasing, or higher, levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Scroll down the page for a review of taxonomy levels, and MC questions.

Check out Alabama's professional development on test development. This site references multiple choice and other question types.

Questions from TIMSS, Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) and others use graphics or images, or long reading passages.