The "Wrong Answer" Struggle
Grading a multiple-choice test is easy. But writing one? That is a grind.
The problem isn't the correct answer; it's the "distractors"—the wrong answers. To make a test fair, the wrong answers need to be plausible enough to test understanding but incorrect enough to be indisputable. Coming up with three "kind of right but actually wrong" options for 20 questions takes hours of mental gymnastics.
This is why teachers rely on pre-made generic quizzes from the textbook, even if they don't match what was actually taught in class.
There is a better way.
You can use AI to generate rigorous, custom multiple-choice questions directly from the text you just read in class. It generates the questions, the correct answers, and the distractors in seconds.
Multiple Choice Question (MCQ): An assessment item consisting of a "stem" (the question) and several "options" (one correct answer and several distractors).
Strategy 1: The "Text-Only" Rule
The biggest mistake teachers make is asking AI to "Write a quiz about the Civil War."
If you do this, the AI will pull facts from its entire database. It might ask about a battle you never mentioned, or use vocabulary your students haven't learned yet. This leads to confusion and unfair grades.
The Why: Assessments must align with instruction. If you didn't teach it, you shouldn't test it.
The How: Always use the "Text-Only" method. Copy the text of the article, chapter, or lecture notes you used in class. Tell the AI: "Use ONLY the provided text below to generate questions."
For more on aligning your assessments with your lesson plans, check out our guide on AI use in education, which explores how tools like Wayground (formerly Quizizz) integrate with this workflow.
Strategy 2: The "Distractor" Prompt
Now, let's build the quiz. We need a prompt that understands the anatomy of a good question.
The Why: Bad distractors make tests too easy (e.g., A: George Washington, B: Mickey Mouse). We need distractors that test for common misconceptions.
The How: Use this prompt to generate a high-quality assessment block.
Copy-Paste Prompt:
[Context]: I am creating a quiz for [Grade Level] students based on the text below.
[Role]: Act as an expert Assessment Developer.
[Exact Task]: Create 10 multiple-choice questions based ONLY on the provided text.
[Format]:
Question Stem: Clear and direct.
Options: 4 choices (A, B, C, D).
Distractors: Make the wrong answers plausible but clearly incorrect. Do not use "All of the above."
Answer Key: Provide the correct answer and a 1-sentence explanation of why it is correct.
[The Text]: [Paste your text here]
Important: If the text does not contain the answer, do not write a question about it.
Strategy 3: The "Bloom's" Upgrade
A quiz shouldn't just be a memory test. You want to see if students can apply what they learned.
The Why: AI defaults to "Recall" questions (e.g., "What date did the war start?"). These are easy to cheat on. You need "Analysis" questions (e.g., "Which evidence best supports the author's claim?").
The How: Add this constraint to your prompt:
"Ensure at least 50% of the questions are 'Analysis' or 'Application' level on Bloom's Taxonomy. Ask students to interpret the meaning of a quote or predict an outcome based on the text."
Recommended Video: ChatGPT for Teachers: Create a Quiz This video is excellent because it demonstrates the "iterative" process—starting with a simple request and then refining it to get an answer key and specific feedback for students, which saves you from having to look up every answer yourself.
The Safety Check: The "Double Key" Verification
AI is smart, but it can be tricked by ambiguous phrasing.
The Risk: Sometimes AI writes a question with two arguably correct answers. For example, if the text says "The sky was dark," the AI might ask "What time was it?" and offer "Night" and "Evening" as options. Both could be true.
The Fix: Always scan the "Answer Key" section first.
Read the explanation. Does it make sense?
Check the distractors. Is one of them "technically" right?
If you find a bad question, simply delete it. It is still faster than writing 10 from scratch.
Conclusion
Assessment is about data
By using AI to handle the mechanical work of writing stems and distractors, you free up your brain to focus on what the data actually tells you about student learning.
If you want a prompt that is specifically engineered to create valid, rigorous tests with zero hallucinations, the Quiz Maker is your best tool. It is built to strictly adhere to your provided material.
Check it out here: Quiz Maker
