# Multiple Choice

> Pick-the-answer cards.

## What & why

A **Multiple Choice** card asks a question and offers a handful of options; the learner
picks one. You write 2 to 5 options and mark one correct. In the app the learner taps an
option, presses **Check**, and sees whether they got it right — with an optional
explanation you can add for the answer. The options appear in a random order each time,
so their position never becomes the cue.

It's the format of most exams, so it's a natural fit for test prep — and the options
force a real choice instead of a vague "I sort of knew that".

The catch: a multiple-choice card is only as good as its wrong answers. Plausible
distractors make the learner discriminate; silly ones let them guess. That's what makes
this type more work to write well than a Basic card.

## When it beats Basic

Reach for it when the learner needs to tell **similar options apart** — confusable
terms, exam-style questions, choices that look right until you know the detail. For
plain recall, free-recall on a [Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/) card teaches
more, because retrieving from nothing is stronger than recognising from a list.

**A good fit:** _Which organelle produces most of the cell's ATP?_ — with options
_Nucleus · Mitochondria · Ribosome · Chloroplast_. The near-misses are the point:
they're all organelles, so the learner has to actually know.

## Related

- [Which card type to use when](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/which-to-use/)
- [Basic](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/basic/)
- [Ask, don't display](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/ask-dont-display/)

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[Read this guide on Deckberry](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/multiple-choice/)