Example: Use a table in a math question

Updated 28 Aug 2023

In this example, your students must read the information in a table and calculate which brand of chili sauce has the lowest unit price.

You want to create a static question that looks like this:

To create your question:

  1. Open the Custom Question Builder.
  2. Select Start with an empty template and click Next.
  3. Select the format Top/Bottom and click Next.
  4. Enter the problem statement:

    Use the information in the table to determine which brand of chili sauce has the lowest unit price.

  5. Position your cursor on a new line.
  6. Click the table icon () to open the Insert Table window.
  7. For Number of columns, enter 3.
  8. For Number of rows, enter 4.
  9. Click OK to enter the table into the question.
  10. Enter Chili sauce in the middle cell of the top row. Select these words and click the bold icon; then click the center icon to center the heading.
  11. Enter Brand, Size, and Price in the cells of the second row. Select each word and click the bold icon.
  12. Enter the data in the bottom two rows.
  13. Move your cursor over the vertical cell dividers until you see the resize tool icon and then drag the divider to make the cells the correct size.

  14. In the answer area, enter:

    The brand with the lowest unit price is

  15. Enter a space and click Short Answer to open the Edit Answer Definition window.
  16. On Step 1, choose Answer is text or contains a symbol.
  17. On Step 2, click in the row under Value and enter: "A". (Be sure to include the quotation marks around the letter.)
  18. Click Next twice to continue to Step 4 and then click Save.
  19. Click Preview Exercise to see how your question looks for your students.
  20. When you are satisfied with your question, dismiss the Preview window and click Save.