@Les
I would think that would take longer. I had a teacher who used to list six roman numerals that listed several things each (or just one thing each) and then there would 5 choices like this:
A. I, II B. I, II, V C. I, III, IV, V D. I, II, III, IV, V E. none of the above. It was horrible!
@Question
I wasn’t sure if you wanted multiple choice or short answer. Personally, I like both, but I can see how people may prefer short answer because it makes you think more than just figure out which answer sounds the best. And I don’t mean short answer where you list of a bunch of memorized facts, but where you interpret facts and such. The problem is, though, that in bio, it doesn’t seem like there’s so much interpreting (I’m biased towards language arts, sorry) and so multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, or something along those lines is more realistic.
I actually had teachers whose tests sometimes wouldn’t match the material. That’s number one. It has to match the material. It also should not be long-winded and tedious like the one I provided, but should not be so easy that all the answers are obviously wrong except for one. It should make people think about which answer is better and the people who really know the material will know the correct answer. And I agree that tests evaluate both the teachers and the students. I remember we had a test in 7th grade (that I got an A on; it was grammar; I’m a natural) but almost everyone else got a C or lower. The teacher knew it her fault, she didn’t count the grade, redid the test, and people did much better the next time.
I like tests where I don’t have to do much studying. Tests where if I’ve been to class and taken notes, I should know that I will do fine. Those are the kinds that work.