Short Answer & Paragraph Questions

Here is a Google Form with multiple choice and checkbox questions, so you can experience what these will look like on anyone taking the form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScktCyBT0yFHGYjmeizcO9sCaLMBgsWv_FwFfYwjwNJTkvZig/viewform

This will cover both “Short Answer” and “Paragraph” questions. As before, make sure you are hitting the preview button to constantly check what your actual form looks like:

Table of Contents:

• Short Answer questions (YouTube tutorial here [2:15] )
• Paragraph questions (YouTube tutorial here [1:37] )

Short Answer Questions

Short Answer Questions in Google Forms YouTube tutorial (2:15 long)

Short answer and paragraph questions are best for when you are not looking for specifically defined answers. If I want students to enter a number (e.g. “How many chromosomes are there in a normal human”), I like to use Short Answer. The answers are narrowly defined enough to still be auto-graded by the form or a spreadsheet but not so much that I am spoon-feeding them the answers.

Here is what a Short Answer question will look like from your end (you cannot type anything on that line from the edit window):

Here is what it will appear to anyone taking the form:

If you click on the three dots in the bottom right, you can add in a description of the question, but also a “Response validation”, where it will restrict what text they can enter to rules you set up:

If you click on the first drop-down arrow (where it reads “Number”) you are given multiple options:

Regular expressions are somewhat advanced and will not be covered in this tutorial, but are definitely worth it for power users.

The other options are listed below, and all can restrict text to specific criteria.

With the combinations listed you could easily make a question with requirements like:

• What is your email address? (“Text” → “Email address”)
• What is your company’s website? (“Text” → “URL”)
• Enter a potential Tweet (“Length” → “Maximum character count” = 280)
• How many trays of cookies can you bring to the bake sale? (“Number” → “Greater than or equal to” 1)
• What is the temperature in Celsius of “Absolute Zero”? Round to the nearest digit. (“Number” → “Whole number”)
• Only allow answers that include the word “Energy” (“Text” → “Contains” ‘energy’)

You could also potentially use the “Text” → “Contains” to password lock a form, by not allowing anyone to proceed on to see the next section of questions (here is how I explain how to set up and use sections) until a password is entered. Try this form, which will not allow you to see the second section/page until you enter the password “applesauce”.

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Paragraph Questions

Paragraph Questions in Google Forms YouTube tutorial (1:37 long)

Paragraph questions are better where a large amount of text will be entered.

What it looks like from your end:

What it looks like from their end:

Here you can see the difference between a short answer (above) and a paragraph answer (below) as they appear to anyone taking the form. Note the difference in the length of the line.

Paragraph is much better for a large amount of text to be entered as the question box where you answer expands with what you type. Here is the same piece of text (“poetry”, some might say) pasted into both a paragraph and a short answer question box prompt.

Here is the exact same piece of text pasted into a Short Answer question. Note how much is cut off when you paste everything into the box. If the potential answers are longer than a few words (~5 or fewer), Paragraph is the way to go.

If you click on the 3 vertical buttons on the bottom of the question options, you will be presented with some additional options. “Description” is the same as in any other question, but “Response validation” will give you special options with a Paragraph question.

Unlike Short Answer questions, you do not have as many options to place restrictions on what they enter, and you can only select “Length” or “Regular expression”. Length will restrict it to a certain number of characters (like a Tweet with 140/280 characters).

Regular expressions will not be covered here.

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