Volunteer Content Creation: MCQs

1. Purpose

This SOP provides guidelines for (volunteer) content creators who will generate multiple, conceptually equivalent multiple-choice question variations of math textbook questions. The goal is to build a diverse question bank - with complete fidelity to the original question - to enhance student practice, aid teaching and support adaptive learning.

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2. Scope

This SOP applies to all creators developing content under the PractEZ’s MCQ Creator Squad initiative.

• Mathematics only
• MH State Board curriculum for standards 6 & 7
  • Applies equally to content created for other grades/subjects
• English medium (which covers the state’s semi-English instruction medium)
• Any/all questions from all Exercises/Practice Sets
• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) only (no other question types to be created)

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3. Roles and Responsibilities

• Volunteer Content Creator:
  As a content creator, you are tasked with creating a set of MCQs (25, at least) for every question of an exercise of your choice. Each MCQ is a simple, numerical variation of the original question.

• Reviewer / Moderator: Review submitted questions for correctness, format, and quality. Provide feedback where needed.
• Content Coordinator: Assign questions, track progress, and ensure submissions follow naming, formatting, and versioning standards.

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4. Workflow

File/folder access

1. The master files - to track MCQs across its various stages of creation:

   • Grade 5 master file

   • Grade 6 master file

   • Grade 7 master file

2. The textbooks - although openly available, and surely already in your possession, here’s links:

   • Grade 5

   • Grade 6

   • Grade 7

Process

Here’s a simplified visual hierarchy of the setup to keep in mind as you proceed:

  graph LR
    textbook["textbook"] --> chapter["chapter"]
    chapter --> exercise["exercise"]
    exercise --> question_type["question_type"]
    question_type --> variations["MCQs (min. 25)"]

1. Choose Assignment

   1. Pick the grade you’d like to create MCQs for.
   2. Access the master file for the selected grade, and read through the minimal guidelines presented in the sheet called Info! (this one’s from grade 7.) and then proceed to the aptly named TheSheet (this one’s from grade 7, as well.)
   3. Pick an exercise from a chapter you are comfortable with - if its Status is To do, and it is marked as Necessary or Debatable.
      • Connect with the founder if you’d like to work on the exercises marked Optional; these are often geometry-based and/or require diagrammatic representation or other specialized constructs, making them unsuitable as MCQs.
   4. Update Status to WIP.
   5. Update Creator with your name.
   6. Update Start Date with the date you start question creation.
   7. Update Target Date with an intended (target) completion date (which isn’t a strict deadline, so long as it’s before Dec 31, 2025!)
   8. Pick the template sheet from Column N (Ex.: Grade 6, Exercise 30).

   Points to remember

   • An exercise is stored in a single spreadsheet.
   • Each question_type has its own worksheet within this spreadsheet.
     • The worksheet is named (or numbered) according to the question tag or number used in the textbook.
   • Within each worksheet (which corresponds to a question_type), every MCQ (question variation) occupies one row.
     • The 25 multiple-choice questions - they fill 25 rows of this worksheet.

2. Create MCQs

   At this point, you’ve picked the exercise you’d like to work on, and the template sheet you’d like to use. Now it’s time to create the MCQs!

   A Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) is a type of question that presents a question and a set of options, only one of which is correct. Below is a simple, illustrative example of a rendered MCQ:

   

   Note

   MCQs are rendered as images for use in PractEZ. You are not expected to create these images, only the text for the question and the options.

   Core Components of a multiple-choice question

   • question_stem — The main question or problem to be answered.
   • correct_answer — The single accurate response.
   • distractors — Plausible but incorrect options.
   • image — An accompanying figure or diagram (optional).

   (Suggested) steps to creating a good MCQ:

   1. Create a prototype multiple-choice question keeping in mind the following guidelines:
      • Keep the core concept (the testing objective) and difficulty identical to the original question.
      • Change numbers, contexts, or wordings meaningfully (ensure utmost fidelity to the original).
      • Avoid using textbook phrases, and names (when present) verbatim.
      • Keep language simple and student-friendly.
   2. Test this prototype using the visualizer.
   3. Ensure readability of the question and the solution in the rendered image.
      • If you’d like to go the extra mile and save PractEZ an extra step, format the questions and the options using $\LaTeX$ (use your favorite LLM to do this!).
   4. Once you’re happy with the prototype, create 25 variations by varying the numbers.
      • Maintain consistent format, notation, and units within the 25 question variations.
      • Ensure each question is solvable and produces a single, valid answer.

   A Note on MCQ Design

3. Quality Assurance Review the MCQs using the following criteria:

   • Correctness of answer - does the question produce the correct answer?
   • Relevance of distractors - are the distractors plausible and accurate?
   • Clarity of language - is the question clear and easy to understand, and as simple as in the original question?
   • Relevance to the original learning objective - is the question testing the same objective as in the original question?

4. Submit for Review by simply updating the Completion Date.

5. Revise if feedback is provided.

6. Finalize and Mark Complete and add a note in the Notes field in the master file.

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5. Formatting and Submission Standards

Each MCQ should follow the standard entry template. Other standards are discussed in the various sections above.

Submission Method:

• Ensure updating the Completion Date and adding a note in the Notes field against the exercise completed.

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6. Review and Quality Assurance

Please contact PractEZ in case you’d like to discuss being part of the quality review team.

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7. Ethical and Copyright Considerations

• Do not copy textbook wording exactly.
• Guidelines somewhere in here, and we’re well within the realm of compliance.

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8. Communication and Support

• For doubts, you know whom to reach out to.
• Weekly volunteer syncs will be held to discuss best practices and challenges.

We’re here to help

I hope this helps you get started. Of course you have questions - I understand this isn’t the most comprehensive document. Feel free to reach out and ask questions - the author confesses being better at responding to focused queries than he is at free-documenting. This document will evolve with your questions, and in the author’s attempts at answering them! You know how to reach PractEZ!