
Sample test questions that reveal frequent learner errors
Sample test questions that reveal frequent learner errors are often designed in specific formats to highlight common mistakes learners make in various subjects. Here are some commonly used question types and approaches based on recent examples:
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Error Correction Quizzes: These include sentences with underlined errors where learners have to identify and correct the mistakes. For example, gaps for common grammar errors (“Listen to music” corrected from “Listen music”) or errors in prepositions and articles (“go to work” corrected from “go work”). These quizzes often start with simple correction tasks and gradually increase in difficulty, encouraging discussion and critical analysis of the errors. 4
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Right or Wrong Sentence Identification: Learners decide if a sentence is correct or not, and if incorrect, they make the necessary correction. This helps learners become more aware of typical errors and their corrections. Usually, only one out of a set of sentences is correct to emphasize error recognition. 4
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Multiple Choice Questions with Distractors: These questions test common misconceptions by including plausible wrong answers (distractors) that reflect frequent learner errors. Questions like spelling errors, subject-verb agreement, and pattern recognition are typical. Examples: Identifying misspelled words in a list, or choosing the correct spelling among options like “budjet,” “budget,” etc.. 7
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Diagnostic Error Questions: Some tests challenge students to generate plausible wrong answers or even create their own questions, which helps reveal their depth of misunderstanding and typical error patterns. 6
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Common Mistakes Highlighted in Exam Practice: Sample errors include careless mistakes like not reading the question properly, over-generalization in answers, not marking multiple-choice responses correctly, and skipping questions without returning to them. 5
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Practice Tests with Identifying Errors: These tests present sentences or passages with errors and ask learners to identify them, often with line numbers or in-context mistakes for precision. 2, 13
These formats and types of test questions are effective for revealing frequent learner errors, building awareness, and helping learners self-correct and improve in language use, exam strategy, and subject knowledge.
If example questions are needed, here are a few sample test questions that target learner errors:
- Identify the error in the sentence: “She don’t like going to the gym.”
- Choose the correctly spelled word: a) recieve b) receive c) recive d) recieeve
- Find the incorrect preposition: “He is good in playing football.”
- Decide if the sentence is correct or incorrect: “The team are playing well this season.”
- Correct the sentence: “If I was you, I would study harder.”
- Pick the misspelled word: “Accomodation, schedule, neccessary, environment.”
- Fill in the blank: “He goes ___ the bank every Monday.” (Options: to, at, in, on)
- Which sentence is right? a) She listen to music b) She listens music c) She listens to music d) She listen music
- Identify the mistake type: “I seen the movie yesterday.”
- Correct the fragment: “Because I was tired.”
These questions reveal common errors in grammar, spelling, prepositions, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure, reflecting frequent learner difficulties. 5, 7, 4
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