Define short answers

The first step of the wizard lets you select an answer rule, which determines how strictly the answer is evaluated and what equivalent answers are accepted.

For each rule, you can move your cursor over See examples to view examples of acceptable answer forms for the rule. You can choose:

• Accept any unsimplified or simplified equivalent answers

The least strict option. The Player accepts any equivalent response. For example, if a solution equals 2, the Player also accepts responses such as 4/2 and cos(0)*2.

• Accept only the exact answer you define

The strictest option for use with numeric or algebraic answers. The Player recognizes only the forms that you define in step 2. For example, if you define an answer as 2+x, the Player does not accept x+2. If you define more than one solution in step 2, then the student’s answer must exactly match one of the solutions.

• Specify a subset of equivalent answers to accept

You can choose:

• Accept integer or decimal equivalents only. The Player accepts the answer only in decimal or integer forms, not in fractional equivalents.
• Accept fully-reduced form. The Player accepts fully reduced or fully simplified forms of a numeric answer, including numeric ordered pairs.
• Accept similar answer or algebraic function. The Player accepts algebraic responses, including algebraic ordered pairs, and alternate forms of answers that are equivalent under commutative properties.
• Answer is text or contains a symbol

The strictest option for use with text or symbol answers. The Player evaluates text answers such as "square" or answers that use one or more symbols, such as x < 4.

For example, if your answer is the fraction 3/2, you might choose the Specify a subset of equivalent answer to acceptand Accept fully-reduced form answer rules. These rules allow 1.5 and 001.5000 as answers, but do not allow 6/4, 1 1/2, and so on.

The second step of the wizard lets you enter one or more forms of the answer.

Click Create Algorithmic Value to define any algorithmic variables you need. If your answer incorporates algorithmic values, make sure you have defined the variables needed to calculate interim and final answers. Most answer rules do not calculate or simplify solutions. See Create and edit algorithmic values for details.

To enter your answer in the Value table:

1. Click under Value to create a new row in the table.
2. When you see an I-bar in the row, enter the answer.
3. With the I-bar cursor visible, you can right-click on the row to get a menu. In the menu, click Editing Options to add or insert algorithmic values, math functions, or symbols.

   When you insert algorithmic values, functions, or symbols, the row shows the internal code for the option. (For example, you see π for the pi symbol.) When you return to the question-and-answer area, you see the answer as students will.

   If you selected the "Answer is text or contains a symbol" option in step 1, enclose your answer in single or double quotation marks. If the correct answer is an ordered pair, enter it in parentheses.

You can enter additional forms of the answer on subsequent line in the Value table. For example, if your answer is the name of a state, you can enter:

"CA"
"California"
"Calif."

The Custom Question Builder accepts any of these three answers as correct.

If you are creating a question for a textbook that uses SI notation, enter commas between periods in values. Your commas are automatically converted to the correct notation when the question is used in a textbook that uses SI notation. For more information, see Work with SI notation.

To delete an answer, right-click in the row and the select Remove Row from the menu.

Select All solutions listed above are required for the correct answer to require all the soutions you entered in the Value list (for example, a quadratic equation with two solutions: -4 and 4). When you select this option, students must enter all the solutions, separated by commas.

You can choose alternate responses for an solution when you select All solutions listed above are required for the correct answer. When you select this box, a More button displays after each solution. Click this button to open the Multiple Solutions popup, where you can define alternate responses for the required solution. Enter each alternate response on a separate line and click OK. Your alternate responses appear separated by <OR> in the Value table. See Define alternate responses for an answer for an example of defining alternate responses for an answer.

Select The correct answers are ordered pairs if your solution contains ordered pairs.

To change the number of attempts a student is allowed in a homework, select Override Default and then enter the number of tries in the box below.

The third step of the wizard lets you specify how answers are accepted and displayed. The options available in this step depend on the choices you made in steps 1 and 2.

To specify how answers are accepted, you can choose:

• Comma-Formatting lets you specify how students must use commas (or spaces in SI notation) when entering numbers greater than 999:
• Optional - accepts answers with or without commas or spaces.
• Not Allowed - does not accept answers with commas or spaces.
• Required - requires commas or spaces in the answer.
• Text-Matching - lets you deal with extra spaces and case differences:
  • Uncheck Ignore Spaces to ensure that students must enter spaces exactly as you specified for the answer.
  • Uncheck Ignore Case to ensure that students must enter upper- and lower-case letters exactly as you specified for the answer. For example, if this option is selected, "x=4Z" is evaluated as the same as "x=4z"; if this option is not selected, these two answers are evaluated as different.
• Numeric Comparison for applicable answer rules lets you set a tolerance for a correct answer. When you enter a number in this box, the Player accepts student answers as correct when the difference between the student’s response and your defined answer is less than or equal to the tolerance value you set. See Specify tolerance for details.

To specify answer format:

• Use Math Style converts math symbols and trigonometric and logarithmic math functions into an easily-recognized font. When you select this option, a student's input automatically converts as it is entered and math symbols and functions display in the correct answer. For example, if you type "sin", the term displays as the trigonometric sine function, sin; if you type the letter e, it displays as the exponential constant .
• Number of decimal places lets you specify how many decimal places show in the correct answer. You can also specify whether trailing zeros display when the answer has fewer than the specified number of decimal places. For example, if the correct answer is 5.6 and the number of decimal places specified is 2, the Player accepts 5.6 as an answer, but shows 5.60 as the correct answer if the trailing zeros option is selected. The maximum number of decimal places is 12.

The Player provides default feedback messages that display when students enter correct and incorrect answers. You can customize this feedback for your question.

Enter your feedback for an incorrect answer in the Incorrect Answer Feedback box; enter feedback for a correct answer in the Correct Answer Feedback box.

Click View Default Message to see the default messages.

In both boxes, you can right-click to get a menu. In the menu, click Editing Options to format the text or insert objects:

• Select Format to bring up a standard list of text-formatting options.
• Select Table to bring up a standard list of table options.
• Select Insert to add a horizontal line, a picture, a symbol, or a link to a web page.
• Select either Insert Object > Algorithmic Values or Insert Object > Equation Editor to add new or predefined algorithmic values or equations.

In a homework assignment, when a student enters an incorrect answer, the player displays either the default message or your custom feedback. If you defined custom feedback, your custom message displays until the student reaches the maximum number of tries that you specified in step 2. The final feedback message is the publisher-provided default message, which provides both the correct answer and the student’s last response for comparison.