Single Choice Question

The single choice question resource creates multiple choice questions with one correct answer. Participants select from a list of options that includes the correct answer and distractors.

HCL Syntax

Basic Syntax

resource "single_choice_question" "name" {
  question = "What is the capital of France?"
  answer   = "Paris"

  distractors = [
    "Berlin",
    "London",
    "Madrid"
  ]
}

Full Syntax

resource "single_choice_question" "name" {
  question = "Which container orchestration platform is developed by Google?"
  answer   = "Kubernetes"

  distractors = [
    "Docker Swarm",
    "Apache Mesos",
    "Nomad"
  ]

  hints = [
    "This platform was originally called Borg internally at Google",
    "The name comes from the Greek word for helmsman"
  ]

  tags = ["kubernetes", "containers", "orchestration"]
}

Fields

Core Configuration

single_choice_question

Field	Required	Type	Description
question	✓	string	The question text presented to participants
answer	✓	string	The correct answer option
distractors	✓	list(string)	Incorrect answer options presented alongside the correct answer
hints		list(string)	Hints shown to participants when hints are enabled. Defaults to empty list.
tags		list(string)	Tags for categorizing and organizing questions. Defaults to empty list.

Validation Rules

• Answer uniqueness: The correct answer must not appear in the distractors list
• Minimum options: Must have at least 2 total options (answer + distractors)
• Maximum options: Recommended maximum of 5-6 total options for usability
• Question clarity: Questions should be clear and unambiguous

Examples

Basic Geography Question

resource "single_choice_question" "geography_basic" {
  question = "What is the capital of Japan?"
  answer   = "Tokyo"

  distractors = [
    "Osaka",
    "Kyoto",
    "Hiroshima"
  ]
}

Technical Knowledge Question

resource "single_choice_question" "docker_concepts" {
  question = "Which Docker command is used to create and start a new container?"
  answer   = "docker run"

  distractors = [
    "docker start",
    "docker create",
    "docker exec"
  ]

  tags = ["docker", "containers", "commands"]
}

Question with Hints

resource "single_choice_question" "networking_advanced" {
  question = "Which HTTP status code indicates a successful request?"
  answer   = "200"

  distractors = [
    "404",
    "500",
    "302"
  ]

  hints = [
    "This is a 2xx status code",
    "It's the most common success status code"
  ]

  tags = ["http", "networking", "status-codes"]
}

Multiple Questions for a Quiz

resource "single_choice_question" "kubernetes_basic" {
  question = "What is the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes?"
  answer   = "Pod"

  distractors = [
    "Container",
    "Node",
    "Service"
  ]

  tags = ["kubernetes", "concepts"]
}

resource "single_choice_question" "kubernetes_storage" {
  question = "Which Kubernetes resource provides persistent storage?"
  answer   = "PersistentVolume"

  distractors = [
    "ConfigMap",
    "Secret",
    "EmptyDir"
  ]

  tags = ["kubernetes", "storage"]
}

Design Guidelines

Question Writing

1. Clear and Specific: Write questions that test specific knowledge
2. Avoid Ambiguity: Ensure only one answer is clearly correct
3. Appropriate Difficulty: Match question difficulty to learning objectives
4. Real-world Relevance: Use practical scenarios when possible

Answer Options

1. Plausible Distractors: Make incorrect options believable but clearly wrong
2. Consistent Format: Keep all options in the same format (length, style)
3. Avoid “All of the above”: This can make questions too easy or confusing
4. Random Order: Options are automatically shuffled during presentation

Hints and Explanations

1. Progressive Hints: Order hints from general to specific
2. Educational Value: Use explanations to reinforce learning
3. Concise Content: Keep hints and explanations brief but informative
4. Avoid Giving Away: Don’t make hints too obvious

Usage in Quizzes

Single choice questions are referenced in quiz resources:

resource "quiz" "fundamentals" {
  questions = [
    resource.single_choice_question.geography_basic,
    resource.single_choice_question.docker_concepts,
    resource.single_choice_question.networking_advanced
  ]

  show_hints = true
  attempts   = 2
}

Best Practices

1. Balanced Difficulty: Mix easy, medium, and hard questions
2. Logical Grouping: Use tags to organize related questions
3. Quality Distractors: Include options that test common misconceptions
4. Learning Reinforcement: Use explanations to strengthen understanding
5. Testing Strategy: Test understanding, not memorization
6. Accessibility: Ensure questions work for diverse learning styles
7. Review and Iterate: Test questions with real learners and refine based on feedback