Multiselect answer type

Updated 17 Sep 2025

You can use the Simple Editor to edit or create a multiselect question in an item.

This answer type is used for multiple-choice questions in which students select more than one correct answer.

You can use this answer type to create mobile-ready Mastering questions which can be completed on a smartphone, tablet, or on a computer. Guidelines for mobile-ready items

 

You can make the following edits to multiselect answers:

  • Change the content of answer choices
  • Designate different correct answers
  • Add or delete answer choices
  • Change the position of answer choices
  • Add or delete any additional correct answers

Important Unless you're prepared to lose answer information, do NOT change a multiselect answer type to multiple choice. This action cannot be undone.

Edit multiselect answers:

  1. Open the Simple Editor so that the item you want to edit appears in the Edit Item window.
  2. Navigate to the Answer box for the multiselect question you want to edit. (The multiselect answer type can be assigned to a part or a Socratic hint question.)
  3. Change the content of answer choices:
    Place your cursor in the answer choice box and make your edits. Use the editing toolbar and menus to format text (including TeX) or to insert tables, images, variables, or links.
  4. Designate different correct answers:
    Add a check mark in the box before each answer that is part of the correct answer. If needed, clear any check marks for answers that are incorrect.
  5. Add answer choices: Select the add choice link below the choice boxes.
  6. Delete answer choices: Choose  Delete choice on the right of the answer choice box.
  7. Change the position of answer choices: To set the position of an answer so that it is fixed, first select the  Move Up or  Move down arrow to get the answer choice in position. Then choose the unlocked icon to change it to locked. (Any answer choices that are unlocked are presented to students in random order.)
  8. Add or delete any additional correct answers.
    • Add an additional correct answer set — Select add an additional correct answer and choose an additional correct answer set in the row of check boxes that appear. For example, if the original correct answer set is A and D, you can add B and C as another correct answer set.
    • Delete an additional correct answer — Select  delete choice to the right of the Also Correct answer.
  9. To save your edits, select  Save (from the top toolbar) or the Save & Preview link (top right). Do NOT press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command-S (Mac OS).

Five possible answer choices to question "Which of the following are traditionally considered precious gemstones?"

 

This answer box shows the correct answer for the multiselect question shown in the student view example above.

Answer box with 3 of 5 multiselect answers labeled as correct answers.

 

  1. From the course menu, select Instructor Tools then Item Library.

    Don't see the Instructor Tools option?
    Select Item Library from the course menu.

  2. Select Create New Item (page bottom) next to "Can't find what you need?" The Simple Editor opens in a new window.
  3. Scroll down to the Answer box for the part. Select the dropdown menu next to Answer Type (on the right) and choose multiselect. (The default is multiple choice.)
  4. In the Answer box, enter the following information. For instructions, see the sections below.
    • Add pre-text and post-text (Optional)
    • Add correct answer and wrong answer choices
    • Set the position of answer choices (fixed or random)
    • Add wrong-answer feedback to help students (Optional)
    • Add follow-up text in response to correct answers (Optional)
  5. To save your edits, select  Save (from the top toolbar) or the Save & Preview link (top right). Do NOT press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command-S (Mac OS).
  • Pre-text — Select the add pre-text link to enter a complete sentence or the start of a sentence to appear before the answer choices.
  • Post-text — Choose the add post-text link to enter text to appear after the answer choices.
  1. Place your cursor in the text boxes to add answer choices. Use the editing toolbar and menus to format text (including TeX) or to insert tables, images, variables, or links.
  2. Select the add choice link to add more answer choices or  Delete choice to remove an answer choice.
  3. Add a check mark in the box before each answer that is part of the correct answer.
  4. Select add an additional correct answer and choose an additional correct answer set in the row of check boxes that appear. For example, if the original correct answer set is A and D, you can add B and C as another correct answer set.

    ""

    (Note that no change is made to the check boxes above where the original correct answers remain selected.)

By default, multiselect answers are presented to students in random order. However, you may need to set this to fixed, depending on your content.

  • To change a random order answer choice to fixed — Unordered answers have the  unlocked icon on the right. To fix the order of an answer choice, select its unlocked icon so that it changes to locked.
  • To reorder the list of answers — Select the  Move up or  Move down arrows, as needed.
  • Although optional, it is recommended that you provide wrong-answer feedback. Wrong-answer feedback can help students learn from their mistakes or incorrect choices.
  • Mastering provides the initial feedback "Incorrect; Try Again", followed by the follow-up text.


For multiselect wrong-answer feedback, set combinations of answers that students either select (wrong answers) or don't select (correct answers). Select add response as needed.

  • More specific wrong-answer feedback combinations should be first in your list of responses, with more generic answers further down the list.
  • For any publisher item you may have copied, note that the order of the wrong answer responses is set so students have a specific experience with what feedback they receive and when.

Add wrong answer-feedback for the multiselect answer type:

  1. Select the add wrong-answer feedback link to enter your feedback text for incorrect answer choices.
  2. Enter check marks in the first column (for wrong answer selections) in combination with check marks in the second column (for correct answers).
  3. In the "Show this response" column, enter your wrong-answer feedback for the particular combination of answers.

    Use any of the toolbar icons that become active to format text or to insert tables, images, media, variables, or links.

  4. Add a link to a hint in a wrong-answer response. (Optional)
  5. Select add response to generate additional rows for as many answer combinations as you need. As noted above, it's best to provide more specific feedback higher in the feedback list.

    To reorder wrong-answer responses — Select the "" Move Up or "" Move Down arrows to reorder the wrong answers and associated feedback.

    To delete wrong answer responses — Choose Delete choice in the row for the response.

  6. To check your edits without saving, select  Validate (from the top toolbar) to verify the XML.
  7. To save your edits, select  Save (from the top toolbar) or the Save & Preview link (top right). Do NOT press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command-S (Mac OS).
  8. Test the student experience of wrong-answer feedback by submitting different incorrect answers in the saved item. (Optional)

Follow-up text appears after a student completes a part question, whether the student answers correctly, exhausts all answer attempts, or requests the answer. Follow-up text can reinforce learning by providing more information or an interpretation of the answer the student just submitted.

  1. Select the add follow-up text link.
  2. Enter your answer feedback, using your keyboard and options from the editing toolbar and menus.

To delete follow-up text: Select the remove follow-up link.

 

See also:

Multiple choice answer type | What you can edit in an item | Associate your items with chapters (for easier searching)