100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning

In PBL evaluation, overall learning objectives for the course are

a) Occasionally taken care of for decision
b) Taken care of for decision
c) Not at all required to be mentioned
d) Not taken care of for decision

Which of the following is a criterion for a good problem situation?

a) Authentic
b) Interesting problem
c) Complex and many possible solutions
d) Clearly structured and defined

Which of these statements best defines social constructivism?

a) Social constructivism argues that security can be constructed and that
the human world is not given or natural but instead is a product of
human actors.
b) Societal constructivism is concerned with the study of 'natural' systems,
hierarchies and values that exist within the international system and
which define its societies.
c) Social constructivism as a concept eludes definition; it is a group of
loosely based theories and ideas rather than a specific political or
scientific approach.
d) Social constructivism only studies aspects of the international system
that are based in the societal sphere, such as issues of poverty, race
relations and gender.

How many basic steps are there at second phase of PBL tutorial processes?
a) It’s a single step phase
b) 3
c) 2
d) 4

Which of the following sentence are true about group dynamic skills in PBL?
a) A tutor should not possess group dynamic skills
b) Both are true
c) Both are false
d) A student should not possess group dynamic skills

Page 1 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
Problem-based learning would probably be the most appropriate teaching
method for which of the following topics?
a) Engineering education
b) All of these
c) Medical educations
d) Architecture education

Traditional midterm and final term examination

a) Both "May be included in PBL" and "May not be included in PBL"
b) May be included in PBL with some modified approach
c) May not be included in PBL
d) May be included in PBL

Skills in promoting independent learning are

a) Confronting student’s misconceptions
b) Helping students to generate a study plan
c) Helping students to develop metacognitive skills
d) All of these

After students have completed and presented their solutions in PBL, what
should the teacher do?
a) Asking groups to examine their own work and learning
b) Assessing students' mastery of the objectives
c) Having students rate the contributions of each member of their groups
d) Reviewing what they have learned and move on to the next unit

Which of the following is not a part of Problem Solving Skills as defined by

Woods (1994)?
a) Demonstrating a systematic approach
b) Awareness of problem solving processes
c) Analysis of problems for issues
d) Setting goals

Group Working can be improved by:

a) Present and defend ideas,
b) Talking with peers,
c) All of these
d) Questioning other ideas

What can help building dialogue and discussion skills?

a) None of these
Page 2 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 b) Brainstorming and clarification are two effective processes that
enhance dialogue
c) Thinking together will enhance dialogue and discussion skill
d) Challenging group members can help building dialogue and discussion
skills

Which of the following is not a suitable basis of designing problem?

a) Book
b) Journal paper
c) News paper
d) Past assignments

The hallmarks of teaching critical thinking include:

a) All of these
b) Using open-ended questions
c) Allowing time for students to reflect on the questions asked or problems
posed
d) Promoting interaction among students as they learn

Responsibilities of the tutor in PBL includes

a) Should not help students to reflect on their experiences
b) Monitoring progress to ensure students are still on track.
c) Challenging students’ thinking to help them develop critical thinking
skills.
d) None of these

Which of the following outcomes is congruent with the PBL model?

a) Applying knowledge
b) Problem-solving skill
c) Mastering basic facts
d) Higher level thinking

What do we mean by metacognitive skills?

a) Self-evaluation of thinking
b) Planning about thinking
c) Metacognitive skills are thinking about thinking
d) Talk about thinking

What is the first step in seven jumps of PBL?

a) Hypothesis formation
Page 3 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 b) Identification of the problems
c) Clarification of terms
d) Brain storming

What is this an example of? You are potty training your 3-year-old daughter.
She lets you know every time she needs to use the bathroom, however, she is
having accidents instead of actually using the toilet. Her paediatrician suggests
that you should have her clean her underwear every time she has an accident.
You start enforcing this rule, and she has fewer accidents.
a) Negative punishment
b) Positive punishment
c) Positive reinforcement
d) Negative reinforcement

Time management criteria is evaluated to measure

a) Students’ involvement
b) All of these
c) Whole term involvement
d) Teacher involvement

How many basic steps are there at first phase of PBL tutorial processes?
a) 7
b) 5
c) 3
d) None of these

What is the most appropriate activity in the second session of small group
activity in problem-based learning?
a) Facilitator guides students through their learning objectives.
b) Students share their knowledge and discuss with their own words.
c) Students read what they found from self-study
d) Students present their works.

For efficient functioning of PBL the teacher should start with

a) Evaluation rubrics
b) Curriculum only
c) Problem statement
d) Learning objectives with respect to curriculum

How many levels of evaluation can be constructed in PBL process?

a) 1
b) 4
Page 4 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 c) 2
d) 3

What is the aspect of PBL which differs from the presentation and direct
instruction models of teaching?
a) Presenting ideas
b) Demonstrating skills
c) Facilitating investigations
d) Presenting concepts

What is the main purpose/s of the “Group Sharing without the Tutor”
a) None of these
b) Both "To ensure that each member of the group has completed his or
her assigned work" and "To confirm each of the members of the group
has to teach"
c) To ensure that each member of the group has completed his or her
assigned work
d) To confirm each of the members of the group has to teach

At the group meeting among students

a) All of these
b) Shares information about the sources they used
c) They reports on the output of their study
d) Helps each other student understand the problem

The step “Self Reflection” includes the following criteria

a) All of these
b) Knowledge base and communication
c) Assessment skills
d) Reasoning processes

What is a tutor’s role when it comes to provide sufficient resources? Find out
the wrong one.
a) Facilities should be provided the institute, where the students can sit
round and conduct the PBL tutorial process, tutors has no role in
managing seating facilities for students
b) The library should be informed of the journals, books, articles, CDs, or
videos that students would be required to use for their studies
c) Besides physical resources, there is the human resource too
d) Tutors should make sure that there are sufficient books, journals, web-
based on-line information, and so on are available for the students to
use.
Page 5 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
‘A student in PBL environment uses problem solving tools very frequently’ – it
indicates his
a) Knowledge building skill
b) Problem identifying skill
c) Problem solving skill
d) Problems understanding skill

Traditional midterm & final term examination may be

a) Presented with small problems
b) Open-book type
c) All of these
d) Take-home type

Find out the wrong type of group dysfunctionality

a) Dysfunctional group members who do not participate or perform work
equally with others in the group
b) The “scapegoat” student who becomes ignored by other student
members
c) Students often find group/team work difficult because of their
negative experiences
d) The domineering student who disrupts or prevents others from learning
through the process

Pick the best response to complete the sentence: "The main purpose of the
entry event is..."
a) to share details about the upcoming unit
b) to do all of the above
c) to provide an overall context for learning
d) to promote student engagement for the entire unit

What is meant by the term ‘reinforcement’?

a) When a stimulus increases the intensity of a specific behaviour
b) When a stimulus presented before a specific behaviour increases the
rate or probability of that behaviour
c) When a stimulus presented after a specific behaviour increases the rate
or probability of that behaviour
d) When a stimulus presented simultaneously to a specific behaviour
increases the rate or probability of that behaviour

Assessment in PBL includes students’

a) Knowledge of Solving problems
Page 6 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 b) Knowledge of creating a problem
c) Overall Technical knowledge content
d) Knowledge of finding a problem

To develop metacognitive skill the following has to be done:

a) The students have to learn thinking about thinking
b) Tutors are told to facilitate or guide the learning by encouraging the
students to determine their own learning
c) All of these
d) Tutors should encourage students to explore their own knowledge and
determine their own learning needs

How many basic steps are there at second phase of PBL tutorial processes?
a) 3
b) 2
c) None of these
d) 4

The final examination questions in PBL may consists of

a) Problems in related area of the course
b) Problems related with learning outcome
c) Problems related with learning process
d) Problems related with group activity

The PBL learning principle emphasis that assessments

a) Should not be viewed as disjoint activity
b) Both "Should not be viewed as disjoint activity" and "Should continue
the learning process"
c) Should continue the learning process
d) Should show students’ memorizing skills

How to control a dysfunctional group or student?

a) It is imperative that tutors learn not to respond and react automatically
when facing difficult students or group dynamics
b) Tutors should look to dealing with difficult and dysfunctional groups not
as uncomfortable tasks, but more as opportunities to understand the
reasons behind these difficulties and dysfunctionality
c) Both "From the onset, some ground rules must be agreed upon and
should be respected" and "Tutors should look to dealing with difficult
and dysfunctional groups not as uncomfortable tasks, but more as
opportunities to understand the reasons behind these difficulties and
dysfunctionality"
Page 7 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 d) From the onset, some ground rules must be agreed upon and should be
respected

Which of the following statement is not true related to questioning skill?

a) Appropriate use of questioning also helps group members by forcing
them to present information and concepts more precisely.
b) Questioning helps to keep the group focused and prevents it becoming
bogged down.
c) Questions should ask for explanation, for comparison, or for
differentiation between various ideas or points.
d) Questioning by a tutor may reduce attention of students therefore a
good tutor should not ask questions

A facilitator's prescriptive task in a Problem Based Learning (PBL) is

a) Asking guided questions and provide clear and precise answers
b) None of these
c) Making a decision about correctness
d) Guide students throughout the process of learning in order to fulfil the
course learning outcomes.

In PBL curriculum the central component is based on

a) Problem scenario based on learning objectives
b) Skill of group of students
c) Learning objectives
d) Skill of individual student

Teachers in PBL use formative assessment to

a) Improve instructional methods
b) Make decision related with grading
c) Motivate the students for learning
d) All of these

What is the meaning of commitment for students learning through PBL ?

a) All of these
b) As a team member, each student has a role to undertake, so it is the
responsibility of each member to make sure the assigned tasks are
completed before each meeting
c) Commitment means turning up for all meetings and being punctual
d) The completed tasks must also be presented correctly and clearly to the
rest of the team to maximise learning

Page 8 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
Find out the wrong statement related to group process in PBL
a) The group in PBL, in contrast with other types of groups, is a working
group with a mandate to learn.
b) None are false
c) The type of interaction and learning are influenced by group dynamics—
how verbal and non-verbal messages are perceived and responded to
from the perspectives of each member of the group
d) The sharing of knowledge by each participant can be seen as the texture
and resource for the learning process where students use and build
knowledge by challenging one another’s understanding

Find out the wrong one: The interpersonal skills that are necessary for
successful team working are:
a) Commitment
b) Dialogue and discussion skills
c) Consensual decision making skills
d) Team maintenance skills

In a traditional unit with a culminating project, the final project...

a) is the context for learning throughout the unit
b) comes after the learning is over
c) allows for critique and revision throughout the unit
d) serves as an effective summative assessment to guide future instruction

Who among the following have been noted for their strident criticisms of
behaviourism?
a) Noam Chomsky
b) Edward Thorndike
c) B. F. Skinner
d) John B. Watson

Which of these statements concerning the study of identity is not applicable to

social constructivism?
a) The identities, interests and behaviour of political agents are socially
constructed by shared ideas, collective meaning, and interpretations and
assumptions about the world.
b) Actors form their identity through interaction, which in turn defines the
types of relationship formed between these actors.
c) Identity defines actors, and tells us who they are, what their preferences
and interests are, and how those preferences might inform their actions.
d) Identity is of fundamental importance to the social constructivist
perspective because it is the basest principle in defining behaviour; it is
Page 9 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 a naturally bestowed quality comprised of certain unalterable
behavioural characteristics.

To have consensual decision making the following has to be true:

a) Every member of the team participates in the decision and everyone
agrees with the decision
b) Every participating student has an equal opportunity of being heard and
for their ideas to become part of the team database
c) All of these
d) Consensual decision making involves contributions from all members

Which of the following is not a metacognitive question?

a) Can you elaborate on this topic?
b) What is the definition of this?
c) Is there a reason to doubt the evidence?
d) Can someone else give evidence to support that?

Which statement is not correct related to group process in PBL?

a) The group should consists of people with different personalities,
abilities, and backgrounds
b) A survey can be conducted to know the background of each students
c) Teachers should monitor each students activity outside the classroom as
well
d) Some members of the group would tend to dominate the rest of the
group, thus becoming leaders and which should not be discouraged

Characteristics of assessment & evaluation tools should

a) Provide for authentic task
b) Provide data that are repeatable
c) All of these
d) Provide a means of reporting on students’ progress

Which of the following statement is not correct about problem based learning?
a) Students must be allowed to evaluate the contributions of other group
members
b) In PBL students should always see their tutor as a sage and guru
c) Students often find group/team work difficult because of their negative
experiences.
d) As students are used to traditional methods of learning, it is important
that they are told what the differences between PBL and traditional
learning are

Page 10 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
Which one of the following is/are the ground rule/s of PBL?
a) All of these
b) Roles of tutor and students
c) All students must research major learning issues
d) Complete assigned tasks

Which of the following is not related to PBL?

a) Scribe
b) Tutor
c) None of these
d) Teacher

Students’ course experience questionnaire is used for

a) Assessment of grading process
b) Self-assessment of individual student
c) Assessment of Team-work
d) Assessment of PBL method itself

In which phase of PBL tutor may ask few metacognitive questions to students?
a) 3rd
b) 4th
c) 1st
d) 2nd

Which of the following is not a role of Tutor in PBL?

a) Give hints of possible of solution/s to group members
b) To evaluate group performance
c) To act as a go-between for staff and students
d) To advise the group on what is NOT relevant
During assessment of students in PBL, emphasize should be given on
a) Learning process
b) Knowledge content
c) All of these
d) Contextual consideration

Which of the following is not a role of Chair in PBL?

a) Lead the group through the steps
b) Write the group report
c) Maintain good group dynamics
d) Keep the group to time

Group assessment may be performed by the teacher

Page 11 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 a) At the end of each phases of learning
b) At the end of course
c) At the middle of the course
d) Any time in the phases of learning

Choose the best answer to complete this sentence: "In a PBL classroom,
lectures or quizzes..."
a) are the main strategy to teach knowledge or assess understanding
b) should be delivered via technology to promote 21st century skills
c) are not used
d) can help teach a concept or formatively assess student knowledge

When faced with different or unexpected problems or situations, their

metacognitive skills enable them to ask and answer questions such as:
a) What do I know about this topic, issue, or subject?
b) Do I know what I need to know?
c) All of these
d) How much time do I need to learn this?

Why debriefing session is necessary for PBL ?

a) All of these
b) Expert tutors shares their experiences in debriefing session
c) New problem is discussed in debriefing session
d) The challenges faced during solving a problem is discussed during
debriefing session

What are the students expected to do to manage time properly?

a) None of these
b) Both "Project management is something students should be told they
have to do in order to plan their workload and stagger the work rather
than leaving everything until the last minute" and "It can be achieved by
insisting that students draw out an action plan in each tutorial"
c) Project management is something students should be told they have to
do in order to plan their workload and stagger the work rather than
leaving everything until the last minute
d) It can be achieved by insisting that students draw out an action plan in
each tutorial

Information literacy involves the ability to:

a) Both "Identify the information needed to solve a given problem or issue"
and "Use the information to solve the given problem effectively."
b) Use the information to solve the given problem effectively.
Page 12 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 c) Identify the information needed to solve a given problem or issue;
d) Evaluate own learning

How many standard steps are there in context of problem designing?

a) 4
b) 5
c) 7
d) 6

How can a young tutor quickly cope up with the PBL system?
a) Take help from experienced tutors
b) All of these
c) Attain casual parties and discuss about the issues with others
d) Attain debriefing sessions on regular basis

At lower level, the easiest way to find problem in context of PBL is

a) Finding problem through various research papers
b) Ask students to generate problems
c) Finding kind of end-chapter problems
d) All of these

Assessment is an integral part of

a) Motivation
b) All of these
c) Examination
d) Instruction

What is the relationship between culture and social constructivism?

a) Culture is the product of shared identity and interaction, although it is
important in understanding the dynamics of social identity, its wider
reference to security studies is largely disputed.
b) All of the below.
c) Social constructivism does not regard culture as being an important
feature to study, instead focusing on individualistic aspects of identity
such as personal interests and ambition.
d) Culture is commonly regarded as a set of practices that give meaning to
shared experiences and actions; it can impact on how states see
security and is crucial in constructing the values and rules that inform
identity.

What is fifth step of PBL seven step problem designing?

a) Thinking through the Process
Page 13 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 b) Write a Tutor’s Guide
c) Resources Review
d) None of these

Grading criteria helps to determine the

a) Formative assessment of a student
b) Final score of a student
c) Summative assessment of a student
d) Problem describing skill of a student

Roll of assessment and evaluation in PBL is

a) Same as conventional midterm examination
b) Same as conventional paper-pencil test
c) Same as conventional end term examination
d) Different from teacher centred approach

What is PBL characterized by?

a) An emphasis on investigation of real-life situations
b) A highly structured learning environment
c) A competitive task structure
d) An emphasis on lifelong learning

In PBL, learning outcomes are to be identified by the teacher

a) After creation of problem statement
b) After knowledge building on the problem
c) After evaluating the student in the knowledge area
d) After analysing the problem

Which is the best example of a problem-based lesson?

a) Understanding the presidential primary process
b) Conducting a mock presidential debate
c) Explaining the process of how to vote in a voting booth
d) Understanding the voting process

Which of the following formula holds an exceptional logic in context of basic

statistics?
a) Sample Standard Deviation
b) Sample Mean
c) Population Standard Deviation
d) Population Mean

Which statement is true about traditional mode of learning?

Page 14 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 a) Traditionally, learning has been dominated by explanation and by
organisation of a body of knowledge.
b) Traditional mode of learning is not student cantered
c) All of these
d) A typical mode of traditional learning is that, the teacher initiates the
question, generally aimed at getting the student to display his or her
knowledge.

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a

a) None of these
b) Transfer learning method
c) Passive learning method
d) Active learning method

Whether a tutor should be a subject domain expert or non-subject domain

expert? Select the best suitable tutor from the list below:
a) Neither a subject domain expert nor having knowledge of PBL process
b) A non-domain expert but full knowledge in PBL process
c) The best tutor is a subject expert but less knowledge in PBL process
d) Both subject expert and full knowledge of PBL process

“Evaluation rubric” is a
a) Set of grading
b) Set of problems
c) Set of solutions
d) Set of criteria

Besides good knowledge, a good tutor should also possess the following skills
a) Directing students to appropriate resources
b) Only "Asking appropriate, stimulating questions to challenge students"
and "Directing students to appropriate resources"
c) Giving students the answers, when they fail to solve the problem
d) Asking appropriate, stimulating questions to challenge students

All the deviations from the mean of a sample are

a) Linearly dependent
b) Scattered
c) Bi-linear
d) Linearly independent

In PBL, problem understanding is the step which involves the activity of

a) Teacher
Page 15 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 b) Both teacher and student
c) Student
d) Teacher and examiner

Which of the following are the thumb rules for students in a PBL?
a) Teach others what you have learned
b) All of these
c) Conduct individual, self-directed learning
d) Conduct regular reflection and assessment

Student’s professional knowledge and skill can be evaluated through

a) Oral examination
b) Documentation & Presentation
c) Direct observation
d) All of these

Final score of a student in PBL depends on

a) Knowledge building
b) Problem identification
c) All of these
d) Team work activity

Which statement is false related to grooming of young tutors?

a) Young tutors should not share the PBL experience and seek support or
advice from peers as adverse comment of peers may demoralize them
b) Tutoring can be a lonely and isolated job, especially for junior faculty
c) On a less official level, the faculty can organize a social tea party session
once a term for tutors to meet more informally to exchange tips and
make improvements for effective tutoring
d) Tutors can meet, albeit briefly, every 2 weeks at the end of a case, often
at the same time as the new case briefing

Grading criteria in PBL is necessary for determining

a) Scale of assessment
b) Context of assessment
c) Team-assessment
d) Self-assessment

What sort of strategies can be used to develop metacognitive skills?

a) Planning and self-regulation
Page 16 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 b) Identify what you know and what you do not know
c) Should not talk about thinking, only think about thinking
d) Keep a “Thinking Journal”

For assessment in PBL, students should be graded

a) As individual when they are involved in team work
b) All of these
c) As a whole team
d) As an individual

Which of the following does not constitute a fundamental ontological principle

of social constructivism?
a) Identities are important.
b) Normative or ideational structures are important and matter as much as,
if not more than, material structures.
c) Anarchy is an inescapable feature of the international system.
d) Agents and structures are mutually constituted.

Which of the following is not a major instructional outcome of PBL?

a) Learning required information
b) Learning important life skills
c) Learning adult role behaviours
d) Learning inquiry skills

In PBL, evaluation should reflect

a) The learning challenge
b) The learning process
c) The learning outcome
d) The learning activity

To understand what prior knowledge the students have, what a tutor can do?
a) The tutor can take a test
b) The tutor can conduct a survey
c) The tutor can begin each tutorial by asking the students, what learning
has occurred in the week prior to the tutorial and what learning will be
featured in the coming week
d) It can be done in the debriefing session

In PBL,_______ with respect to curriculum need to be developed for efficient

functioning
a) Learning objectives
b) Grading criteria
Page 17 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning
 c) Evaluation
d) Assessment

Which of the following is less important at “Tutor’s Guide” in context of PBL?

a) Students’ academic background
b) All of these
c) Deliverables
d) Identifying milestones

Page 18 of 18
100 MCQs on Problem Based Learning