Transcript Analogies

Analogies for Multiple
Choice Testing
Presented by
Virginia Malone
May 19, 2004
Analogies Are Used To
Show Relationships
Analogies
 Abstract
ideas are often learned as
analogies.
 Greater
understanding of Known means
Greater understanding of Unknown
 Stronger
analogies - more similarities
between Known and Unknown
Two Part Structure
 The
Known or Source or Analog
 The
Unknown or Target
 Order
– Target to Source for learning
Analogies for Learning
Unknown to Known
Ken Lay was like a vulture feeding on
carrion.
NOT
A vulture feeding on carrion was like Ken
Ray.
Like
 Ken
Lay seemed insatiable, just as a
vulture seem to be insatiable.
 Ken Lay had little regard for his energy
source just as a vulture has little regard for
its energy source
 Enron did not know that Ken was taking
money, just as the carrion does not know
that the vulture is eating it.
Different
 Ken
Lay cannot fly, but he can flee the
country, a vulture can fly, but not too good
at fleeing its territory.
 Ken
Lay hid some Enron’s money for use
on another day. Vultures do not hide
carrion for later use.
Political Cartoons Are
Analogies
Formal Presentation of Analogies
Used in Testing
Source I : Source II :: Target I : Target II
Principal : School :: President : Country
Determine
Like and Different
President - Principal.
Like
Both tell us how we are doing
Both lead
Different
President leads a nation
Principal leads our school
All Options Must Be Related to
Target I
Principal : School :: President :
a. Congress
b. Country
c. Students
d. White House
c. Leader
Target II Should Be in Same
Category as Source II
Principal : School :: President :
a. Congress
b. Country
c. Leader
d. White House
Source II - Entity
Leader – Role
c. State
Options should not be tricky.
Boycott : Seller :: Strike :
a. picket, b. union, c. buyer, d. company
Buyer too closely associated with seller.
Option will pull but not because of
relationship.
Analogies Should Require an
Understanding of Relationships
Polio : Salk :: Rabies :
a. Pasteur, b. Sabin, c. Lister, d. Curie
Sources not useful.
All of the people should have something to do
with rabies.
Better
Salk : Polio :: Pasteur :
a. rabies, b. bacteria c. malaria, d. botulism
Bacteria is a cause not a disease. Not same
catergory. Plague might be better.
Malaria is not a disease that Pasteur
studied. Small pox would be better.
Pasteur was concerned with food spoilage
related to botulism.
Two Source I – Two Target I
WWII & Germany : Hitler :: WWII & USA :
 Roosevelt
 Eisenhower
 Patton
 Churchill
Ampersand plus colon – upper grades
Dates
Independence : 1776 :: Emancipation :
a. 1787, b. 1812, c. 1863, d. 1916
Source not useful.
Anything other than a date would be a
throw away option.
No analogy needed to answer the make
the choice just match the date.
Better but not perfect
1776 : Independence :: 1863 :
a. Emancipation
b. Prohibition
c. Lincoln
d. Civil War
b.
c.
Not related to 1863 - replace
Lincoln – not an event - replace
Example
Marconi : Radio :: Gutenberg :
a. Broadcasting b. The Bible
c. Paper
d. Movable type
Replace Broadcasting Indicates lack of
understanding of analogies rather than
lack of understanding the relationship.
Example
Individual : Loan :: Municipality :
a. interest, b. bond, c. principal, d. money
What is the relationship between an
individual and a loan?
Analogy Alternate Format
United States : Constitution ::
a.
b.
c.
d.
Persia : The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam
England : Magna Carta
Germany : Mein Kampf
Iraq : Koran
Formats for Test Item Analogies

… is related to … in the same way that
… is related to ???
A:
B :: C : D
 Which
of these has the same relationship
as … does to …?
 How
are … alike?
Answers should depend on
understanding relationships
In Tests
Beginning : End :: Go on sign :
a.
b.
c.
d.
Zodiac sign
Yield sign
Equal sign
Stop sign