## Oral Assessment 

The most common means of assessment is direct or indirect oral questioning of learners by the instructor. Questions may be loosely classified as fact questions and HOTS questions. The answer to a fact question is based on memory or recall. This type of question usually concerns who, what, when, and where. HOTS questions involve why or how and require the learner to combine knowledge of facts with an ability to analyze situations, solve problems, and arrive at conclusions. 

Proper quizzing by the instructor can have a number of desirable results, such as: 

1. $_{ }$Reveals the effectiveness of the instructor’s training methods$_{ }$ 

2. $_{ }$Checks learner retention of what has been learned 

3. $_{ }$Reviews material already presented to the learner 

4. $_{ }$Can be used to retain learner interest and stimulate thinking 

5. $_{ }$Emphasizes the important points of training 

6. $_{ }$Identifies points that need more emphasis 

7. $_{ }$Checks comprehension of what has been learned 

8. $_{ }$Promotes active learner participation, which is important to effective learning 

## Characteristics of Effective Questions 

The instructor should devise and write pertinent questions in advance. One method is to place them in the lesson plan. Prepared questions merely serve as a framework, and as the lesson progresses, should be supplemented by such impromptu questions as the instructor considers appropriate. Objective questions have only one correct answer, while the answer to an open-ended HOTS question can be expressed in a variety of possible solutions. 

To be effective, questions must: 

1. $_{ }$Apply to the subject of instruction. 

2. $_{ }$Be brief and concise, but also clear and definite. 

3. $_{ }$Be adapted to the ability, experience, and stage of training of the learners. 

4. $_{ }$Center on only one idea (limited to who, what, when, where, how, or why, not a combination). 

5. $_{ }$Present a challenge to the learners. 

## Types of Questions to Avoid 

Effective quizzing does not include yes/no questions such as “Do you understand?” or “Do you have any questions?” Instructors$_{ }$ should also avoid the following types of questions: 

⦁ $_{Puzzle—“What is the first action you should take if a conventional gear airplane with a weak right brake is }$ swerving left in a right crosswind during a full flap, power-on wheel landing?”$_{ }$ 

⦁ $_{Oversize—“What do you do before beginning an engine overhaul?”}$$_{ }$ 

⦁ $_{Toss-up—“In an emergency, should you squawk 7700 or pick a landing spot?”}$$_{ }$ 

⦁ $_{Bewilderment—“In reading the altimeter—you know you set a sensitive altimeter for the nearest station }$ pressure—if you take temperature into account, as when flying from a cold air mass through a warm front, what precaution should you take when in a mountainous area?”$_{ }$ 

⦁ $_{Trick questions—these questions cause the learners to develop the feeling that they are engaged in a battle }$ of wits with the instructor, and the whole significance of the subject of the instruction involved is lost. An example of a trick question would be one in which the response options are 1, 2, 3, and 4, but they are placed in the following form: 

A. 4 

B. 3 

C. 2 

D. 1 

