fixed-alternativequestionsQuestions that offer a fixed choicebetween two or more alternatives.scale questionsQuestions that require responsesat fixed intervals along a scale ofanswers.open-endedquestionsQuestions that allow respondentsto answer however they want.
Learn everything about Multiple Choice Questions, its parts and over 17 multiple choice question types and examples.
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Close ended questions are defined as question types that ask respondents to choose from a distinct set of pre-defined responses, such as “yes/no” or among set multiple choice questions. In a typical scenario, closed-ended questions are used to gather quantitative data from respondents. Closed-ended questions come in a multitude of forms but are defined by their need to have explicit options for a respondent to select from. However, one should opt for the most applicable question type on a case-by-case basis, depending on the objective of the survey. To understand more about the close ended questions, let us first know its types.
These close ended question are indicative questions that can be answered either in one of the two ways, “yes” or “no” or “true” or “false”.
A multiple choice close ended questions are easy and flexible and helps the researcher obtain data that is clean and easy to analyse. It typically consists of stem - the question, correct answer, closest alternative and distractors.
These closed ended questions, typically are 5 pointer or above scale questions where the respondent is required to complete the questionnaire that needs them to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree.
These close ended questions require the respondents to assign a fixed value in response, usually numeric. The number of scale points depends on what sort of questions a researcher is asking.
This type of closed ended question expects the respondents to make choices from the many options that have been stated, the respondent can choose one or more options depending on the question being asked.
These closed ended questions come with multiple options from which the respondent can choose based on their preference. From most prefered to least prefered (usually in bullet points).
In a survey it is most likely that you may end up answering only close ended questions. There is a specific reason to this, close ended question helps gather actionable, quantitative data. Let’s look at the definitive instances where closed-ended questions are useful.
Although, many organisations use open ended questions in their survey, using close ended question is beneficial because closed-ended questions come in a variety of forms and they are usually categorized based on the need to have specific options for the respondents, so that they can select them without any hesitation.
The open-ended questions are questions that cannot be answered by a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and require respondents to elaborate on their answers. They are textual responses and generally used for qualitative analysis. Responses to these questions are analyzed for their sentiments to understand if the respondent is satisfied or not. Open-ended questions are typically used to ask comments or suggestions that may not have been covered in the survey questions prior. Survey takers can explain their responses, feedback, experiences, etc, and convey their feelings or concerns. Examples of Open Ended Questions
The selection between open-ended and closed-ended questions depends mainly on the below factors.
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