GIFT and AIKEN formats for importing test questions

This article describes how to use the GIFT and Aiken formats to create test questions that can be imported into your test question bank.

The GIFT format

GIFT stands for General Import Format Template. Using GIFT conventions, you can compose test questions (of the types listed below) that can then be imported into Populi. Many LMS systems also export test questions in GIFT.

Multiple Choice
Multiple Answer
True/False
Fill in the Blank
Short Answer
Matching
Essay

Below you'll find examples for each of these question types. A couple general notes:

GIFT files must be plain text files (.txt). You can't mix GIFT and Aiken questions in the same file! (Not if you want a successful import of all your questions.)
Put your question text on one line.
Enclose your answer options with curly brackets { }. Depending on the question type, you'll put the answer options either after the question text or inline with it. The examples provided below will give you specifics.
Important: In order to have a successful import into Populi, you must separate each question with at least one empty line of whitespace.
After each answer, you can leave comments for your own use (they will not be imported). Enter // and type your comment after that.

Multiple Choice

Put your question text on one line, and below it, enter your answer options surrounded by curly braces { }.
Prefix each option with either = (indicating the correct answer), or ~ (indicating an incorrect answer).
For each option the text should be on one line. Indentation is optional and purely stylistic.

Examples:

// Multiple Choice
What color is the sky? Do this from memory; please do not look up or out the window.
{
  =Blue // this is the correct option
  ~Red // this is an incorrect option
  ~Green // this is an incorrect option
  ~Yellow // this is an incorrect option
}

Multiple Choice questions can also have partial credit options (denoted by ~%...% with the desired credit amount between the percent signs):

// Multiple Choice with Partial Credit
What did the announcer exclaim when the lightning bolt struck the Hindenburg?
{
  ~%100%Oh! The humanity!
  ~%50%Holeeee smokes! The humanity! // that would have been a little insensitive
  ~%0%Bro, what even is happening?
}

Multiple Answer

Multiple Answer questions are composed just like Multiple Choice questions, except that you enter more than one correct answer option. You can denote correct answer options by prefixing them with either = or 100% credit (~%100%)

// Multiple Answer
Which of the following ships were famous for sinking?
{
  =Titanic
  ~Queen Mary
  =Bismarck
  ~U.S.S. Missouri
  =Empress of Ireland
  =Edmund Fitzgerald
  ~Mayflower
}

Short Answer

For short answer questions, compose the question. For answer options, either leave a blank line between the curly brackets or indicate correct (case-sensitive) answers by using the = prefix.

// Short Answer
Who did George Washington marry?
{
  =Martha
  =Martha Washington
  =his wife
}

Fill in the Blank

To define a fill in the blank question, place option fields {} where you want blanks to appear. There can be multiple correct answers per blank.

In the deep { =glens } where they lived all { =things } were older than man and they { =hummed of mystery }. -Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Fill in the Blank questions can also span multiple lines.

The Titanic 
{
  =is not
  =ain't
  =most certainly isn't
} still afloat.

Matching

Each option in a matching question begins with an equals sign =. Separate matches with -> and then a blank space.

Match the authors to their works:
{
  =A Tale of Two Cities -> Charles Dickens
  =Moby Dick -> Herman Melville
  =The Picture of Dorian Gray -> Oscar Wilde
  =Sense and Sensibility -> Jane Austen
  =The Road -> Cormac McCarthy
  =I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew -> Theodore Geisl
}

True/False

Following the question text, inside of curly braces simply include either TRUE or FALSE. You can also use the abbreviated values T and F.

Adding spaces around and inside the curly braces is purely stylistic and has no effect on the import.

// True-false question
Raw milk is an order of magnitude better than the pasteurized, homogenized stuff. { TRUE }

// Using abbreviations
George Washington was the creator of the DC Comics superhero named Superman. { F }

Essay

For essay questions, leave the answer field empty.

// Essay question
Write a ten-thousand word essay on the development of the comedy stylings of Rodney Dangerfield from 1965 to 1974. { }

Feedback

GIFT also supports question feedback except for Matching and Fill in the Blank. Feedback is denoted by the pound sign # followed by the feedback text.

Feedback must be on the same line as the option or on the line directly below the option that it corresponds too.

// Multiple Choice question with feedback
Only WHO can prevent forest fires? {
  ~You # You have selected YOU, referring to Me. The correct answer is you.
  =Me # You have selected ME, referring to You. This is correct.
}

// You can also enter feedback multiline:
Only WHO can prevent forest fires? {
  ~You 
  # You have selected YOU, referring to Me. The correct answer is you.
  =Me 
  # You have selected ME, referring to You. This is correct.
}

// Multiple Answer
Which of the following ships were famous for sinking?
{
  =Titanic # Guess you saw the movie, huh?
  ~Queen Mary # Still floating!
  =Bismarck # The German battleship, not the filled doughnut.
  ~U.S.S. Missouri # How long must I bear with having you in my class?
  =Empress of Ireland # A great tragedy! You're a smart cookie.
  =Edmund Fitzgerald # Can't believe that thing ever floated in the first place.
  ~Mayflower # We wouldn't have Thanksgiving if this boat hadn't made it across.
}

// True-False question with feedback
Raw milk is an order of magnitude better than the pasteurized, homogenized stuff. { TRUE # It's creamier and great for your gut biome.}

// Short Answer question with feedback
Who did George Washington marry?
{
  =Martha # That's her name!
  =Martha Washington # Good job remembering her last name, too!
  =his wife # I wish I could give you bonus points for typing this.
}

Idiosyncrasies of Populi GIFT

Populi does not support certain question types; if these are included in your file, they won't be imported! Populi will reject:

Questions with numeric tolerance ranges:

When did Columbus sail the ocean blue? { #1492:5 }

So-called "Description" questions (question text without options). These are "questions" which are not meant to be answered. Use text blocks in your test design instead.

Please answer these next several questions correctly and completely if you know what's good for you.

Question names (we'll still import the question, just not the name).

::This is a Question name::This is the question text { ... }

The Aiken Format

The Aiken format lets you compose Multiple Choice questions (no other types) in plain text. It's more straightforward than GIFT, if less flexible in terms of question types.

Aiken files must be plain text files (.txt). You can't mix GIFT and Aiken questions in the same file! (Not if you want a successful import of all your questions.)
The question text must be on a single line, immediately before the question options.
Each option must begin with a capitalized letter and either a period . or a left-parethesis ). This is followed by the the option text. This must all be on a single line.
The answer is specified at the end of a question block. It begins with ANSWER: followed by the letter corresponding to the correct option.
There should be one empty line between question blocks.

Behold, some examples:

Which mathematical concept is frequently mistaken for a classic American dessert?
A. Multiplication
B. Pi
C. Addition
ANSWER: B

Where did I find my keys after losing them this morning?
A. In the fridge by the raw milk
B. Germany
C. My pocket
D. Drinking tea on the patio with my aunt
E. The microwave
ANSWER: C

Which instrument is most commonly found in Jazz music?
A) The saxophone
B) The alto flugelphone
C) The sackbutt
D) The tires
E) The bass tuba
ANSWER: A