Battle of the Books Question Writing

Writing questions | Editing questions | Where to send questions

Things to remember when writing questions for MHLS Battle of the Books:

• Write the questions using only the paperbacks we purchase so the page numbers are correct.
• Each library must submit at least 10 questions for each title--more are welcome!
• Put them in the proper format, as shown below. Be sure to include the title, author and page number for each question.
  
  Sample:
  In which book does one main character's job involve speed?
  City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, p. 27
  
• Try to vary the phrasing so that each question does not begin with, "In which book..."
• Make the questions vague enough so that there are no clues to the answer within the question.
• Make the questions specific enough so that only one title is the correct answer.
• Keep in mind that the teams are very bright so the questions need to be difficult.

Things to remember when editing the questions

• Identify duplicate questions & choose best one
• Make sure questions are clearly written
• Check page numbers to verify that is where answer can be found
• Consider whether more than one book could be the correct answer to the question
• Make sure no obvious clues are contained in the question
  
  Send the written questions electronically to the following committee members:

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