This
page describes the use of hints in
flashcards. A hint is a valuable tool
you can use to make your question have a
unique answer. Hints are a useful
alternative to true/false flashcards.
If you use a "partial-word hint," do not use letters at both the beginning
and end of the blank. Use letters at either the beginning or the end.
Wrong:
Q: A p_______r noun should always be capitalized.
A: proper
Right:
Q: A p_______ noun should always be capitalized.
A: proper
Also, don't use too many letters. If you have to use too many letters to make
a hint, you need to change the flashcard. Example:
Q: The pier_______ is a common dish in Poland.
A: pierogi
Since a "pierogi" is a potato-filled dumpling (which you would know if you
had the textbook or resource in front of you), you can rewrite it this way,
thus working a hint into the actual content of the sentence:
Q: Polish cuisine is heavy on potatoes, including a
boiled, potato-filled dumpling called the _______.
A: pierogi
More Than One Quality
If something comes in more than one quality, set the question up so that
all the qualities but one are listed in the question. This leaves it so the
answer will be the last quality. For example if something has several colors:
Q: In addition to yellow, white, and blue, what color light may stars appear
to give off?
A: Red.
Partial Word
Hints
Use part of the word in the question, and leave the other part as blank. Make
sure to write the whole word in the answer:
Q: A decimal number that never ends and never repeats is called an ir_______
number.
A: irrational
Q: Water in the form of gas is known as w_______.
A: water vapor
Drug Names
Drugs often do the same thing as one another (generally speaking), so it can
seem difficult to make questions with unique answers for drugs. But drugs also
have long names, and that makes it easier to make partial word hints:
Q: An al_______ is a nitrogenous organic molecule found in plants that often
has a pharmacological effect on humans.
A: alkaloid
Q: Ant_______ is an artificial alkaloid that is believed to be effective in
reducing fever.
A: Antipyrine
Q: Ph_______ is an organic compound used as a laxative and as an acid-base
indicator for solutions made up of weak acids and strong bases.
A: Phenolphthalein
Q: Pyr_______ is a crystalline organic compound that has a penetrating odor and
is the parent substance of various biologically important derivatives.
A: Pyrimidine