Matching tests are extremely popular. Matching questions work well for terms and definitions, phrases with other phrases, causes with effects, parts with larger units, and problems with solutions. Teaching students about matching test-taking strategies can greatly improve their performance on these tests.
One advantage of matching test items is that students can show their knowledge of a lot of material in a short amount of time. Matching test questions are easy for teachers to create. Their biggest disadvantage is that the questions are mostly knowledge levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.
This is Part 3 in a five-part series. Check out Part 1—Multiple-Choice Questions and Part 2—True/False Questions. Come back next week to learn about Fill-in-the-Blanks questions. Part 5 includes essay test-taking strategies.
To make the material student-friendly as well as more interesting, I have created a free Boom deck with alternating facts and questions. This game-like activity will keep students engaged as they learn more about test-taking. You will find a link to the Boom deck at the bottom of this post.
Get the FREE Boom Learning Deck here.
The Boom Card Lesson Script for Matching Test-Taking Strategies
Studying for a Matching Test
Three of the most common types of matching tests include the following:
- words > definitions
- people > contributions
- dates > events
As you study for tests, organize your notes into tables. This will make the information easier to remember and help you recall details for matching quizzes.
Here is an example.
Seven Natural Wonders
| Mount Everest | highest spot on earth at 8,848 meters above sea level | China and Nepal |
| Harbour of Rio de Janeiro | unique granite mountains formed by erosion from the Atlantic Ocean | Southeast Brazil |
| Great Barrier Reef | Earth’s largest coral reef – 2,600 km with more than 900 islands | off the coast of Queensland, Australia |
| Victoria Falls | world’s largest waterfall –5604 feet wide | Zambezi River in southern Africa |
| Paricutin Volcano | cinder cone volcano – first-time modern scientists could study the life cycle of a volcano | Michoacán, Mexico |
| Grand Canyon | steep-sided canyon – 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide with a depth of over a mile | Arizona |
| Aurora Borealis | naturally-occurring lights caused by the disturbances of the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind | around the Arctic and Antarctic |
Study the chart by covering up one column at a time and recalling the “hidden” information. For example, cover up the locations column and practice recalling the location of each natural wonder. Next, cover the first column and recall the names based on the details. Finally cover the details column and recall facts about each location. With the example above, you would need to practice all three columns.
Question
Match the 7 Natural Wonders of the World to their locations.
| 1._______ Aurora Borealis | A. southern Africa |
| 2._______ Great Barrier Reef | B. Southeast Brazil |
| 3._______ Grand Canyon | C. around the Arctic and Antarctic |
| 4._______ Harbour of Rio de Janeiro | D. China and Nepal |
| 5._______ Mount Everest | E. off the coast of Queensland, Australia |
| 6. _______ Paricutin | F. Arizona |
| 7. _______ Victoria Falls | G. Michoacán, Mexico |
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Matching Test-Taking Strategies
When taking a matching test follow these steps.
- Read the instructions carefully. Note that some tests may ask you to draw lines to match answers, and others may contain blanks for writing ABC answer choices.
- Determine the relationship between the items in Columns A and B. Common relationships include terms or symbols and their meanings, dates, events, people, accomplishments, and information about locations such as capitals and states.
- Some challenging tests contain additional incorrect matches. Determine if Columns A and B are of equal lengths. You may have more items in one column that will not be used. Often the instructions will let you know if this is true.
- Select one column. This can be either; however, starting with the column with the most information is often better. For example, with terms and definitions, start with the definitions column.
- Read all the responses, trying to come up with matching answers without reading the answers provided. Reading through the entire set of test items is very important. Sometimes, one answer will appear correct until you read a better option later down the list. Reading through the options first will prevent you from making an incorrect match that will take a lot of time to figure out later.
- Match each item against the items in the second column. Begin with matches which you are certain. Match as many items as you can. This means you will have fewer choices to decide between harder items. This is especially true with a test having a long matching section.
- Cross out the letters you have used to avoid confusion.
- Guess only when you are running out of time. If you guess early, correct answers for later matches will be eliminated.
Question
Write the letter of the rest of the instructions from Column II on the line to the left of each partial instruction in Column I.
| 1._______ It is often better to start with the column… | A. You may be asked to write ABC… answer choices. |
| 2._______ Guess only when… | B. to avoid confusion. |
| 3._______ Read the instructions carefully. | C. correct answers for later matches will be eliminated. |
| 4._______ If you guess early, | D. additional incorrect matches. |
| 5._______ Cross out the letters you have used… | E. you are running out of time. |
| 6. _______ Some challenging tests contain… | F. with the most information. |
Answer Key
| 1.___F____ It is often better to start with the column… | A. You may be asked to write ABC… answer choices. |
| 2.___E____ Guess only when… | B. to avoid confusion. |
| 3.___A____ Read the instructions carefully. | C. correct answers for later matches will be eliminated. |
| 4.___C____ If you guess early, | D. additional incorrect matches. |
| 5.___B____ Cross out the letters you have used… | E. you are running out of time. |
| 6. __D____ Some challenging tests contain… | F. with the most information. |
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Matching Test Questions With Key Lists
One variation of the traditional matching test is using a key list. This is a shortlist of 3 to 4 answer choices with a larger list of possible answers. Test takers match every answer from the second column to one of the keys in the first.
Question
| Match each Marvel character to his power by writing A, B, and or C in the blanks in front of each character.
Key List
|
| __________________ Captain America |
| __________________ Hulk |
| __________________ Spider-Man |
| __________________ Beast |
| __________________ Iron Man |
| __________________ Thor |
| __________________ Ant-Man |
Variation of the Same Question
Match each Marvel character to his power by placing checkmarks in the appropriate columns before each character’s name.
Strength Speed Intelligence Captain America Hulk Spider-Man Beast Iron Man Thor Ant-Man
Classification Questions
Another variation of matching is classification. With this type of question, test takers sort answers from the second column into groups belonging to separate classes or categories specified in the first column. Unlike the key list, each item will only belong to one category.
Question
Write A, B, or C in front of each person to show which American War the person is associated with.
| A. Revolutionary War | ______ Clara Barton |
| B. Civil War | ______ George Washington |
| C. World War I | ______ Ulysses S. Grant |
| ______ Nathanael Greene | |
| ______ Robert E. Lee | |
| ______ Alvin York | |
| ______ Paul Revere | |
| ______ Woodrow Wilson |
Variation
| Clara Barton | George Washington | Ulysses S. Grant | Nathanael Greene |
| Robert E. Lee | Alvin York | Paul Revere | Woodrow Wilson |
Sort each person into the column that best describes which American War the person is associated with.
| Revolutionary War | Civil War | World War I |
| George Washington | Ulysses S. Grant | Alvin York |
| Paul Revere | Robert E. Lee | Woodrow Wilson |
| Nathanael Greene | Clara Barton |
Ranking Questions
Questions in which you order events are also a variation of matching questions.
Question
Directions: Number (1-5) the following events in the space race in the order in which they occurred, using 1 for the earliest event.
____ Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon, while Michael Collins continued to orbit the Moon aboard Apollo 11.
____ The US enter the Space Race by launching Explorer 1.
____ An explosion occurs onboard the US Apollo 13 spacecraft, and the crew survives.
____ A US chimpanzee becomes the first hominid in space and the first to successfully survive the landing.
____ The US launches Explorer 6, the world’s first weather satellite.
Answers
__4__ Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon while Michael Collins continues to orbit the Moon aboard the Apollo 11.
__1__ The US enter the Space Race by launching Explorer 1.
__5__ An explosion occurs onboard the US Apollo 13 spacecraft, and the crew survives.
__3__ A US chimpanzee becomes the first hominid in space and the first to successfully survive the landing.
__2__ The US launches Explorer 6, the world’s first weather satellite.
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