What term describes a wrong answer option in a multiple-choice test that is designed to be plausible?

What term describes a wrong answer option in a multiple-choice test that is designed to be plausible?

• A. Distractor
• B. Validity
• C. Backwash
• D. Phonology

Answer: (A)

A distractor is a wrong answer option designed to be plausible, tempting test-takers who haven’t mastered the material and helping to distinguish those who truly understand from those who don’t. Good distractors reflect common misconceptions or plausible mistakes, so they reduce the chance of guessing the right answer and improve the item’s ability to differentiate levels of knowledge. By contrast, validity concerns whether the test actually measures what it’s supposed to measure; backwash (washback) refers to how testing influences teaching and learning; phonology is the study of sound systems in language—topics that don’t describe the function of a plausible wrong option in a multiple-choice item.