quiz

A quiz is a form of game or mind sport consisting of questions posed to participants to assess knowledge, skill, or general information. Quizzes can be informal or formal, conducted in classrooms, at events, or online. They are typically structured to be completed in a short period and may involve scoring or feedback.

The origin of the word quiz is unclear, with several theories but no consensus. The term appeared in English in the 18th or 19th century and came to denote short testing formats. Over time, quizzes expanded beyond school testing to entertainment, media, and online platforms.

Quizzes employ various formats, including multiple-choice, true/false, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and matching. They may be paper-based or digital, timed or untimed, individual or team-based, and can include feedback and explanations after submission.

In education, quizzes reinforce learning, provide quick assessment, and help tailor instruction. In professional settings, they assess knowledge and readiness. Social contexts include pub quizzes and game shows. Good quiz design aligns questions with learning objectives, avoids ambiguity, and considers accessibility and bias.

Scoring can be automatic in digital quizzes, offering immediate feedback and analytics. Online platforms support adaptive difficulty, randomized question pools, and analytics on item performance. Limitations include potential guesswork, question bias, and overemphasis on recall, which can narrow assessment to surface-level knowledge if not complemented by other evaluation methods.