9 Reasons for Wrong Answers, Part I: Understanding the Question

Jan 17, 2011
Evelyn Gaspar

I know it, so why did I miss it? - Evelyn Gaspar

Why do students make errors on a test they've prepared for? Their explanations sound like excuses, but do contain important clues that parents can use.

Anyone who has ever said (or wanted to say,) "You knew that! How could you have missed it?" knows how frustrating it is when a student prepares for a test and still makes mistakes. What happened? Was the student lazy and careless, rushed and distracted, or frozen with anxiety? Was it a trick question? Or is something else wrong? And even more frustrating, when you ask what happened the explanation, like those listed below, often sounds like an excuse.

However, if you take time together to discuss each test item, the student will gain understanding of how test questions are constructed and you will gain insight into how your student approaches a problem. Over time scores will improve and you'll see patterns that point up specific needs. Address these and grades will rise even more.

Always start by asking the student to read the question aloud. Make sure that no words are being misread or misunderstood. Then say, "what kind of answer does it call for? What are they asking?" Then go on to, "What answer did you give? How did you get to that answer? Why didn't you choose this other one?" Taking time to go through these steps helps students develop awareness of their own mental processes. And it tells you which of the categories below are relevant.

Here are some real-life examples of test questions (slightly paraphrased) with actual student errors, the discussions that followed, and what to do next.

I Thought it Said...

At the end of this story how do you think the heroine was feeling? Happy to be by herself; Excited about her future, Worried about the future.

Tell me, how do you think she felt?"

"She was excited."

"Why?"

"She was going to get married."

"Can you show me where it says that?"

"Yeah. Oh no!"

"What happened?"

"It says, she danced with her broom. I thought it said, 'her groom'."

Everyone has had the experience of reading something wrong. However, if this turns out to be a frequent type of mistake, it means one of two things. Either the student is not seeing clearly or there is a habit of skimming. Think about vision and visibility first. Is the lighting adequate? Student wearing his glasses? Print-out legible?

Skimming often becomes a habit when students have to read material that's too difficult. They skip over words they don't know and rush because they're always finishing late. Even for students who were behind and have now caught up in their reading skills, the habit of skimming often persists. Explain that skimming can be a useful tool, but for understanding test questions every single word is important. Reading aloud, especially practice questions can help students develops the habit of reading each word with good pacing, rather than jumping ahead. For more on pacing, see the discussion under "I Didn't Have Time." in 9 Reasons for Wrong Answers, Part III: Memory; Timed Tests.

I Thought it Meant...

In this passage the sentence, "The gold shone in her hair." means, 1. She had blond hair. 2. She had money in her hair. 3. Her hair was shiny in the firelight.

"I see you chose number 2. Do you really think she had money in hair?"

"Yeah. Big gold coins."

"How can you be sure that's what it means?"

"That's what it says."

Figures of speech tend to be colorful, and the images they evoke in a young reader's mind can be hard to eradicate. You will help your student develop an interest in metaphors and idioms if you show that they interest you. Point them out whenever they pop up in conversation, media, or reading materials. Be playful about discussing the difference between the litteral and actual meaning.

Another type of "I thought it meant..." errors result from confusion about grammar and usage such as pronoun antecedents. Some fun exercises will clear this up.

So we've broken the code!

"I thought it said..." means there's a problem with vision, visibility or skimming.
"I though it meant..." indicates confusion about metaphors, idioms and figures of speech; or about grammar and usage.