Creating a Cloze question in a Moodle Quiz

This refers to Moodle 4.1 from December 2023 onwards.  

How to: Create 'Embedded answers (Cloze)' questions in Moodle Quiz   

This is an advanced question type that requires you to learn some basic syntax associated with it.  This question type allows you create an interactive question with 'fill in the blanks', drop-down and numerical responses.

Add an Embedded answers (Cloze) question

1. Navigate to your quiz on the module page
2. Click on the quiz
3. Click on the Add question button
4. Click on the Add dropdown and select  a new question

5. Select 'Embedded answers (Cloze)' question and click on the Add button

6. If appropriate, select the correct category of questions that you are saving this one to.

7. Give your question a Question name

8. Write your question with the appropriate syntax into the Question text field

9. Click Save changes

The syntax

• short answers (SHORTANSWER or SA or MW), case is unimportant

• short answers (SHORTANSWER_C or SAC or MWC), case must match

• numerical answers (NUMERICAL or NM)

• multiple choice (MULTICHOICE or MC), represented as a drop-down menu in-line in the text

• multiple choice (MULTICHOICE_V or MCV), represented a vertical column of radio buttons

• multiple choice (MULTICHOICE_H or MCH), represented as a horizontal row of radio-buttons

Note:  In the MULTICHOICE question type the answers are automatically scrambled.

Writing the syntax into a string of commands

e.g. a short text answer that is not case-sensitive would be written as:  {1:SA:=paddling}  This would be shown as a small text box where the student has to write their response.

e.g. a multichoice answer would be written as:  {1:MC:=construct an elaborate colourful nest~sing in a high pitched tune to the female}  This would be shown as a drop-down box where the student selects one of the answers.

e.g. a numerical answer would be written as:  {0:NM:=-0.497:0.01#wrong}  This would be shown as a text box where the student has to write a numerical response.

1. all question items within a cloze-type question are coded inside curled braces { }

2. the number which appears between the opening brace and the colon {1: is the number of points awarded for that answer

3. after the colon we have the item question type: MULTICHOICE, SHORTANSWER, NUMERICAL.  Note:  The question type must be written in capitals

4. a correct answer is preceded with the equal sign = or a percentage (usually %100%).  A wrong answer is preceded with nothing or a percentage (usually %0%)

5. all answers except the first one are separated from one another by the tilde sign ~

6. answers can be followed by an optional feedback message, preceded with the # sign.  Note:  The feedback message and the correct answer are displayed in a small popup window

Note:  You cannot use html code in the question.  If you are using a NUMERICAL question and need to enter sub or superscript into the question use the appropriate buttons in the toolbar:  .  You can however use html in the feedback aspect of the string e.g. #See this picture:<br><img src=Something.gif />}

Similar tutorials

The following other resources are also relevant to this topic:

• Page:
  How to create a Quiz question using STACK
• Page:
  How to transfer questions for quizzes between Moodle modules
• Page:
  How to export reports and statistics for Moodle quiz
• Page:
  How to add accommodations to a Moodle quiz
• Page:
  How to Add questions to a Moodle quiz
• Page:
  How to Add a Moodle quiz (the settings)