How the Core will be examined

DEVELOPING CORE QUESTIONS

ANCIENT HISTORY

In the Ancient History HSC examination in 2010 and beyond:

There will be source-based short answer and objective response questions to the value of 15 marks in Section I Part A, including from 5 to 10 objective response questions

Sources to be used in Section I will be placed together in a source booklet

Answers to multiple choice and short answer questions will be written in a separate booklet

Questions are grouped according to the sources to which they relate rather than by question type (i.e. combination of multiple choice and short answer – as in Specimen paper)

A specimen Section I for the 2010 Ancient History HSC examination is available on the BOS website

Sections II, III and IV will remain the same.

Recommended length of extended responses – Sections II, III, IV

The Ancient History HSC examination specifications now give guidance on the expected length of extended responses, stated in terms of the approximate number of pages of an examination writing booklet (based on average-sized handwriting) and/or an approximate number of words.

Students may write less than or more than what is expected and they will not be penalised. Their responses will be marked on the structure and organisation of responses, the quality of the arguments and explanations, and the relevance of the content to the question asked

2010 – Exam specificationsNote: The following has been added to

information on Section II, III and IV in the Ancient History Exam specifications:

The expected length of response will be around eight pages of an examination writing booklet (approximately 1000 words) in total.

Examination specifications:Ancient History HSC 2010 and beyond

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/ancient-history-assessment-reporting.pdf

The examination will consist of a written paper worth 100 marks.

Time allowed: 3 hours plus 5 minutes reading time. The paper will include a source booklet. The paper will consist of four sections. Section I – Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and

Herculaneum (25 marks)

Questions in this section will require candidates to refer to the source booklet. This section will consist of two parts.

Exam specifications (cont’d)

Ancient History exam – Section 1Part A (15 marks)There will be objective response and short-answer questions to the value of 15 marks, including from 5 to 10 objective response questions.

Questions will require candidates to use sources and apply their own knowledge.

Part B (10 marks) There will be one question worth 10 marks that will require candidates to refer to sources and apply their own knowledge to issues of investigating, reconstructing and preserving the past and related ethical issues. (NB no change from previous years)

Specimen Paper - Directions to studentshttp://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/ancient-history-spec-exam-2010.pdf

Section I — Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and Herculaneum 25 marks Part A – 15 marks Attempt Questions 1–8 Allow about 25 minutes for this part

For multiple-choice questions, fill in the response oval next to the alternative that best answers the question. For other questions, answer in the spaces provided. These spaces provide guidance for the expected length of response.

Specimen PaperFormat of multiple choice question

(A) The figure has been left unburied.

(B) The figure is chained at the ankles.

(C) The figure is in a position of submission.

(D) The figure is lying face down in the debris.

What feature of the figure in Source A suggests that this may be the body cast of a slave?

1.

Writing multiple choice questions Writing multiple choice

items is very difficult.

Writer’s block is a common ailment among item writers.

The item writer knows what to test but often has difficulty in phrasing the item. Thomas L. Haladyna (1997) Writing Test Items to

Evaluate Higher-Order Thinking, p.67

Patterns of multiple choice & short answerBOS Specimen Paper - Part A /15 (MC = 6 short ans = 9)

Topic Quest Type Marks

Slavery 1-3 Multiple choice 3

4 Short answerWhat do sources reveal about ?

3

Religion 5-7 Multiple choice 3

8 Short answerUsing sources and own knowledge, outline religious practices in P.

6

HTA Sample Q1 (MC=7marks/short answer =8)

Topic Quest Type Marks

Eruption of Vesuvius

1-5 Multiple choice 5

6 Short answerUsing Sources A and B and your own knowledge, explain how the eruption of Mt V. caused the death of people in P & H.

4

Water supply

7-8 Multiple choice 2

9 Short answerUsing sources and own knowledge, explain how water was distributed at Pompeii

4

HTA Sample Q2 (MC=5 marks/short answer =10)

Topic Quest Type Marks

Housingcommerce

1-3 Multiple choice 3

4

5

Short answerUsing Source A describe ONE activity that took place in the atrium and identify the person/s involved.Short answerWhat evidence is there in Sources A and B that living and commercial activities were conducted in the same building?

2

2

Political life 6-7 Multiple choice 2

8 Short answerUsing Source C and your own knowledge, explain the main features of local political life at Pompeii.

6

Topic Quest Type Marks

Freedmen and women

1-3 Multiple choice 3

4 Short answerWhat do Sources A and B reveal about the status of freedmen and freedwomen in Pompeian society?

3

Foreign cults

5-6 Multiple choice 2

Leisure

7

8

Short answerUsing Source C and/or your knowledge of other sources, outline the main features of ONE foreign cult that was popular in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Short answerUsing Source D and your own knowledge, describe TWO leisure activities that were popular in P & H.

3

4

HTA Sample Q3 (MC=5 marks/short answer =10)

Topic area: Target syllabus outcome: Related learn to or learn about statement: What is this item testing? Please tick.

- knowledge- comprehension- source analysis- problem solving- application of a skill - higher order thinking, eg evaluate, synthesise

Target performance band: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6

Multiple Choice Item Planner

Target outcomes for multiple choice

Aim to test a range of outcomes, e.g. Knowledge of significant historical events, issues,

individuals, groups, sites Knowledge of historical terms and concepts Locate select and organise relevant information

from different types of sources Analyse and evaluate sources for their usefulness

and reliability Explain and evaluate differing perspectives and

interpretations of the past

Outcome: Knowledge of significant historical events, issues, individuals, groups, sites

2. Which archaeologist developed the technique of making the body cast shown in Source A?

(A) August Mau

(B) Amedeo Maiuri

(C) Guiseppi Fiorelli

(D) Vittorio Spinnazzola

HTA Sample Question 1.

Source A A body cast from Pompeii

Outcome: Knowledge of historical terms and concepts

2. What is the name of the rooms shown as X in the plan?

(A) Peristyle (courtyard) (B) Cubiculum (bedroom) (C) Triclinium (dining room) (D) Tablinum (reception room)

HTA Sample Question 2.

Source B Account of Pliny the Younger

Elsewhere there was daylight by this time, but they were still in darkness …. …………Then the flames and the smell of sulphur which gave warning of the approaching fire drove the others to take flight and roused him to stand up. He stood leaning on two slaves and then suddenly collapsed, I imagine because the dense fumes choked his breathing by blocking his windpipe which was constitutionally weak and narrow and often inflamed. When daylight returned on the 26th—two days after the last day he had seen—his body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like sleep than death.

Source: Pliny the Younger, Letters and Panegyricus, Vol. I, Book VI, xvi, 17–20, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1969

Outcome: Locate select and organise relevant information from different types of sources

What does Source B indicate was the most likely cause of the death of Pliny’s uncle?

(A) Burns(B) Suffocation(C) Falling debris(D) Heat exhaustion

HTA Sample Question 1.

3.

Outcome: Analyse and evaluate sources for their usefulness and reliability (HTA Sample Question 2)

Source C Election graffiti from Pompeii

‘Primus and his household are working for the election of Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus as Aedile.’

‘His neighbours request the election of Tiberius Claudius Verus as duumvir.’

‘Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus; his grandmother worked hard for his last election and is pleased with the results.’

‘Thirty pairs of gladiators provided by Gnaeus Alleius Nigidius Maius quinquennial duumvir, together with their substitutes, will fight at Pompeii on November 24, 25, 26. There will be a hunt.

. Etc etc etc

7. Which of the following statements best indicates the usefulness of the graffiti in Source C to a historian investigating elections in Pompeii?

(A) They are not useful because they do not indicate the results of the elections.(B) They are useful because they contain reliable information about the candidates.(C) They are not useful because they do not contain information about

the election process.(D) They are useful because they contain some information about the candidates and their supporters.

Source-based short answer questions

8. Using Source C and your own knowledge, explain the main features of local political life at Pompeii. (6 marks) = 1 page in exam booklet

HTA Sample Question 2.

Source C Election graffiti from Pompeii

‘Primus and his household are working for the election of Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus as Aedile.’

‘His neighbours request the election of Tiberius Claudius Verus as duumvir.’

‘Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus; his grandmother worked hard for his last election and is pleased with the results.’

‘Thirty pairs of gladiators provided by Gnaeus Alleius Nigidius Maius quinquennial duumvir, together with their substitutes, will fight at Pompeii on November 24, 25, 26. There will be a hunt. Hurrah for Maius the Quinquennial! Bravo, Paris!’

Hint: sometimes the multiple choice questions and/or alternatives can provide clues

See checklist (handout)

Value and validity

Language and layout

Checklist for setting multiple choice questions

Poor question! What’s wrong? E.g. HTA Sample 2. Q. 1 (mea culpa!)

1. Source A is a plan of which of the following?

(A) A house (B) A forum (C) A basilica (D) A city block

Source A Floor plan of a typical atrium house at Pompeii

How would you fix this question?

Poor question

The forum in Pompeii

was important because only citizens were permitted access to it.

was important because it was the entertainment centre of the town.

was important because it was the focus of a variety of public activities.

was important because it was the only place where public bathing was available.

What’s wrong with this question?

Poor questionThe forum in Pompeii

was important because only citizens were permitted access to it.

was important because it was the entertainment centre of the town.

was important because it was the focus of a variety of public activities.

was important because it was the only place where public bathing was available

.

What’s wrong with this question?

No clear question or problem is presented in the stem.

Poor question

The forum in Pompeii was important because it was the entertainment centre of the town. was important because it was the focus of a variety of public

activities. was important because it was the central meeting place for all the

citizens. was important because it was the only place where public bathing

was available.

What’s wrong with this question? No clear question or problem is presented in the stem. Repetition of first words ‘was important because’ in each

alternative. (Put this in the stem)

Poor questionThe forum in Pompeii

was important because only citizens were permitted access to it. was important because it was the entertainment centre of the town. was important because it was the focus of a variety of public activities. was important because it was the only place where public bathing was

available.

What’s wrong with this question? No clear question or problem is presented in the stem. Repetition of ‘was important because’ in each alternative. (Put this at end

of stem)

Students should be able to understand the question without reading the alternatives.

To check on clarity, completeness of question, cover the alternatives to see if question could be answered without the choices.

Better question/sQuestion clearly posed:Which of the following statements best indicates the importance of

the forum in Pompeii? Access to it was limited to citizens only. A variety of public activities was conducted there. The only public baths in the town were in the forum. It functioned as the entertainment centre of the town.

Or … Sentence completion modelThe forum in Pompeii was important because

only citizens were permitted access to it. a variety of public activities was conducted there. the only public baths in the town were in the forum. it functioned as the entertainment centre of the town.

Attractive Distracters – the critical component

The distracters in a multiple choice item should be so appealing to the students who lack the knowledge called for by the item that they select a distracter in preference to the correct answer

The art of constructing good multiple choice items depends heavily on the development of effective distracters.

Source: N E. Grunland & C. K Waugh (2009) Assessment of Student Achievement, 9th edn, p.102

Use the common misconceptions or errors of students State the alternative in the language of the student Use ‘good-sounding’ words (accurate, important) in

the distracters as well as the correct answer Make distracters similar to correct answer in both

length and complexity of wording

Attractive Distracters – tips

Poor:Why should negative terms be

avoided in the stem of a multiple choice item?

*A. They may be overlooked B The stem tends to be longer. C. The scoring is more difficult. D. The construction of alternatives is more difficult.

Better!Why should negative terms be

avoided in the stem of a multiple choice item?

*A. They may be overlooked B. They tend to increase the

length of the stem C. They may increase the difficulty of the scoring. D They make the construction of alternatives more difficult.

Verbal clues:Make all distracters grammatically consistent with the stem of the item and parallel in form

Avoid use of negative if possibleA positively worded item tends to measure more important learning

outcomes than a negative one. (avoid the possible mental gymnastics required to answer a negative question)

If the negative is used, it should be placed at the end of the stem so it is emphasised, e.g

All of the following were features of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in AD 79 EXCEPT

A. Pyroclastic flowsB. Earthquake activityC. Pyroclastic surgesD. xxxxxxxxxxx

‘All of above’

Refuge of desparate distracter setters!

(understandable but undesirable)

Why you should avoid it:

Right answer: Item can be answered on basis of partial information. Students can select only one answer, so if two alternatives are correct, “all of the above” is right answer.

Wrong answer: if one of alternatives is incorrect.

‘None of the above’ Recognising that certain answers are wrong is no

guarantee that the student knows what is correct. e.g.

Which of the following is the correct Latin term for ‘bedroom’ in a Pompeian house?

A. TablinumB. AtriumC. LarariumD. None of the above

Best way to write multiple choice questions

Good luck!

References

N E. Grunland & C. K Waugh (2009) Assessment of Student Achievement, 9th edn.

Thomas L. Haladyna (1997) Writing Test Items to Evaluate Higher-Order Thinking