Introduction
Studying and reading to pass an exam isn’t the only way to ensure being successful in the exam. It is also important to know how to answer questions on the exam and answering questions in the examination is a matter of planning well and strategy.
If one can answer questions in an examination one will not be stuck or forget in the process. This post will also discuss some of the mistakes that people make during the examination and more effective ways to address them.
So, without further delay now, let’s begin the steps we can take to answer different kinds of exam questions.
HOW TO ANSWER EXAMINATION THEORY/ESSAY QUESTIONS.
If you are required to respond to a specific number of questions, you must choose you can choose from the following questions:
- In the beginning, read through the entire list of questions that you’re asked:
A lot of people make the error of taking any question that they feel they’ll be able to answer on an exam. However, they don’t plan or think about strategies. This is why they are stuck and begin fiddling.
This is because most exam questions contain sub-questions and simply grabbing an answer without thoroughly looking over the sub-questions could be dangerous, especially if you discover that you are unable to answer certain sub-questions.
Additionally, time and money could be wasted. We’ve provided you with practical tips for planning your day. After you have gone through all the questions you’re given and mark the ones you would like to answer as you will have the option of marking them by using a pencil. This will aid your brain to begin to prepare the answers for you in your mind.
The majority of people begin answering the first question and then try to decide which other questions they’ll complete even though it is normal, it could cause one to forget crucial information because the brain isn’t capable of focusing fully on the question being asked right now, and is not concerned if you are competent enough to answer any other questions correctly.
One suggestion to mark questions is to select those that are more likely to questions that you can easily answer.
For instance, if each question has fifteen marks, and you discover that you receive eleven out of fifteen marks in question one with confidence, but you could complete all fifteen marks in question two. That would be very fortunate since you aren’t sure of your answers. it is recommended to go with question number two rather than one since you could receive a lower mark than 11 if you try one question.
- Jot for the responses
This requires you to make using your pencil while note down the answers to every question that you don’t know well or think that you could forget the answer to easily. It is possible to write the answers on top of the questions using simple forms, abbreviations, codes, or mnemonics as well as other prompts of this kind. It is possible to do this for every question you’re required to answer This helps you build confidence throughout the test. I’m a personal testimony.
- Answer all
This type of instruction requires you to answer all questions, regardless of whether you’re able to be confident in answering them or not. It is important to follow the instructions that were provided in the beginning, particularly the last step, but you must think more deeply. Also, you need to know something- You do not need to answer all the questions correctly, if you are asked to answer five questions, it is advisable to spend your time on the questions you know, then trying to answer every question and wasting your time, you should do this, especially for the calculation-intensive exam. Four questions answered correctly and correctly is superior to five questions with wrong or insufficient answers.
How To Answer Theory Questions According To Instructions
The purpose of this post is designed to resolve the debate between the words commonly used in instruction list, state, enumerate, highlight, discuss, explain, justify, for, and many more.
Let’s look at each word one at a time.
- List This’very instructions are to simply list what you have learned (answers) and not much more.
For instance, identify five countries around the world
Answer: Canada, South Africa, the U.S.A, U.K, and China. - Highlight The word “highlighting” means that you are putting emphasis on the importance of something. Thus, questions with instruction highlights could need explanation. The main goal is that your responses must be precise.
For instance: highlight five steps to make an amazing painting.
The answer is:
- Get all the tools ready: A painter should have got his palette, canvas, and paintbrushes before beginning the work.
- Sketching: Armed with the ideas one would like to draw in the mind, the artist has to draw what he would like to create…
- State: literally, the word “state” is the word used to describe a statement. It also means to say something with care and clarity. Therefore, the explanation is crucial.
Example: Identify three important aspects of agriculture.
Answer:
- Agriculture provides man with food
- Agriculture supplies man with basic material
- The agricultural sector generates income for farmers
- Discuss This is extremely clear. This should include a reason after the answer has been given.
Examples: Discuss the effects of cultism.
Answer:
- Death of lives Cultism can result in the loss of life when cult conflicts take place. Additionally, individuals can be killed if they refuse the cult, attempt to quit a cult, or get attacked by members of cults.
- Moral decadence: Since the members of the cult are free to conduct themselves however they want because of the protection provided by the cult, they engage in drinking, smoking clubbing, smoking, and other imprudent actions in society.
- Enumerate This is the term used to identify things in the list in order. It’s similar to the word ‘list’.
- account for it refers to announcing an account of something, i.e to describe something in terms of what it happens. For instance, if you have to provide an explanation of what happened during the Civil War then you must. Retell what transpired throughout the war, logically without altering any particular detail or offering your own personal view. When you answer a question based on this kind of instruction, the similarity between the responses of the candidates who took the test must be clear and obvious. They should write the same answer.
“State the distinctions between’ and’ differentiate’.
The question “State the Differences” will require you to tabulate. To be on the safer side, you should tabulate your answers.
Differentiating between the two, however, is not a requirement for you to calculate i.e You can divide your data using conjunctions such as “while” or “but”.
While “state the differences” needs at least two elements to differentiate, it only requires one primary point or specific definitions that are involved.
Example: List the distinctions between animal CELLS and plant cells.
The numbers in each column in your table must match the other column.
Plant cell: Animal cell
It is a cell with a wall and a membrane for cells. It is a vacuole with a small size
The above method is incorrect because the marks under both the animal and plant cells do not match. Thus marks on both points might be missing. Instead, write as follows :
| Plant Cell | Animal Cell |
| It is surrounded by an internal cell wall as well as the cell membrane | It is equipped with one cell membrane, but there is no cell wallet. |
| It has a huge vacuole | It also has a small vacuole |
| The presence of chloroplast | Lack of chloroplast |
2.) Define demand and supply
Model answer:
Demand is the amount of a particular product or service that a buyer can and is willing to purchase at a certain price at a specific moment.
WHILE
Supply is the amount of a particular commodity that the producer will and can provide for sale at a specific moment at the current market price.
Nite the use of ‘while’
Differentiate is usually employed when there is a primary distinction between two things, and the examiner demands you to clarify the difference.
Comparative and Contrast When you’re asked to contrast two things, the idea is to identify their distinct characteristics about each other, without having to attempt to distinguish them. It is to describe the similarities and distinctions.
The contrast is the same in that you can state the differences.
For a more clear understanding of what “compare” actually means check out the following question.
Compare veins and arteries.
| Arteries | Veins |
| It has a muscular or thick | It sports a slim/less muscled wallet |
| It is responsible for removing blood from the heart | It transports blood to the heart blood |
| Blood is pink and bright red in blood. | The blood is dark red |
Explain with the help of a diagram This is a requirement that causes a lot of confusion as applicants are unsure regarding whether they need to draw a simple diagram without writing an explanation, or drawing a graph, and writing an explanation.
To address this issue Let’s look at the instructions. The instruction is composed of two parts. The word ‘with’ is what we recognize this. The various parts will be discussed and explained using the help of a diagram labeled. So you don’t just need to draw a diagram, but you should also describe the process.
There is one thing you must remember: any time an examiner issues this type of direction, the picture you’re required to draw must be part of a process or contain various phases or stages that require an explanation written down to understand by laymen.
HOW TO ANSWER MULTIPLE CHOICE (OBJ) EXAMINATION QUESTIONS.
Multiple choice exam questions are simply those that allow the candidate to select their answer from the available options. Do you recall them today? They’ve been a regular element of exams since elementary school. It’s possible to ask “Is there a perfect way or perfect method to and multiple-choice questions in the examination?” From our point of view, there isn’t a single answer, however, we have strategies to assist you in escaping challenging situations.
Let me present to you the method of elimination. This method is easy and intuitive. It involves removing or disregarding the possibilities you are sure will not be the best solution, leaving you with only a handful of choices that can be analyzed and broken down carefully to find the right solution.
The best option is to cross-check or tick the choices that you’re sure are not the solution to your question so that you can thoroughly consider the options remaining.
Note: To use this method effectively it is necessary to have sufficient information or knowledge about the topic on which the inquiry is based.
Another option is to look for the OPTION(S) by using a hint of a different or a conflict or simply pick one out. This is a great method for situations where you aren’t sure.
To apply this technique take the time to look over each choice carefully and consider their significance If you come across one option that doesn’t have a connection to the others and is not related to the others, it stands a good probability of being correct or even not being the right answer, Therefore, you should use your discretion.
Let’s now tackle the question in a multiple-choice format following the above methods. The question is as follows :
CHOOSE THE WORD NEAREST IN MEANING TO THE UNDERLINED WORD.
The lawmaker was a tyrant to the Chairman of the panel in their last meeting.
(a.) (a.) was cheered (b.) cheered (c.) was shouted to (d.) held back
The first step is to look for the word that has some distinction as many people are hearing “heckle” for the very first time. Based on the context we can observe that restrained stands above the rest because it conveys the feeling that you physically hold an individual, while the other alternatives are not based on anything physical’. Keep in mind that it is “the context”, therefore it is impossible to eliminate alternative (d.)
Still trying to find any hint of difference There is a difference between options (a.) (a.) and (b.) are positive terms, however, option (c.) can be described as completely different and is very likely of being the correct answer, therefore, let’s select the option C.
In a search of the dictionary to find the meaning behind the word”hotel” to confirm our conclusion This is the result :
Heckle,(verb) (verb): interrupt someone speaking at public meetings by shouting questions or inappropriate remarks.
We were able to answer the questions correctly by applying our strategies.
HOW TO ANSWER CALCULATION QUESTIONS
We will present one step that is simple and straightforward that you may have heard of prior. This technique is useful for the sciences, particularly mathematics and chemistry, as well as any other subject or calculation.
The next step is to write the parameters. The parameters are the data that is supplied.
Parameters refer to the information or values we are provided to answer a query.
Note: It is essential to note down your parameters before making an equation.
After you have written your parameters, write down your formulas (this may attract mark bonuses from certain examiners). You can then substitute your values in the formula and finish your calculation.
In addition, before you begin any calculations with physical quantities, be sure that all the quantities can be categorized in the same unit and at the same S.I unit ( for Physics).
Let’s examine the following physics problem to see how the steps listed above help to calculate the answer and avoid misunderstanding errors.
Question: A body moving at a speed of 108km/hr, accelerates at a uniform 10m/s2 up to the point that it reaches 50m/s. What is the total distance traveled over this time?
Solution
Step 1: write down the parameter
Initial velocity, u=108km/hr
Ki Acceleration, a=10m/s2
Final velocity 50m/s, v=50m/s
Distance, s= ?
Step 2. Step 2: Perform all the necessary conversions.
u=108km/hr= (108×3600)/1000
=30m/s
3. 3: Which among the equations below that follows is compatible with the above parameters?
Are you sure?
- V=u+at or
- S=ut + 1/2at2 or
- V2= u2 + 2as
As you can see, just the 3rd equation contains all the parameters that we have been given. This method can help to speed up the process as we don’t need to perform trial and error to arrive at the right equation.
GENERAL TIPS FOR ANSWERING EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
- If you’re given a selection to answer multiple-choice questions, first. The benefits are clear They include:
- It prepares your brain for the essay or the theory questions.
- If you can complete this Part correctly, it increases your confidence and puts you in a great mood to be able to answer the questions with confidence.
- There may be some solutions to the theories in multiple-choice, even if there aren’t any answers, there may be clues.
- Make sure you have your questions in order There are certain questions you are aware require a thorough explanation, regardless of the explanation to be followed. Certain questions require you to state your arguments in the form of a statement (full sentences) without explanation.
- In a multiple-choice exam make sure that there are no unanswered questions Be sure to choose the correct answer for every question that you’re not sure of. It could be the right answer.
- For questions involving calculation, you must do your calculations step-by-step The majority of examiners will award points for this.
- With 98% percent of the tests, you can respond in any order you want. The majority of people skip the first question, but they have questions that require answers that they quickly forget.
- Begin by answering the most straightforward questions first.
I’m sure you’ve learned a lot from this article, and make sure you follow the guidelines that were discussed, and now and pass your exam with high marks.
SOURCE: https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/writing/guides/exams/
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