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Quiz Design

Fill-in-the-Blank Questions: 50 Examples Across Subjects

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TL;DR. Fifty ready-to-use fill-in-the-blank (FITB) questions across English, math, science, history, and Spanish. FITB is the format closest to how the brain actually retrieves information — a partial cue and a slot to fill. Done well, it's excellent for vocabulary, definitions, dates, and procedures.

How to write good FITB questions

  • **One unambiguous answer.** “The capital of France is ___.”
  • **Blank at the end when possible.** Reading is left-to-right.
  • **Sufficient context.** The student should know what kind of answer is expected.
  • **One blank per question.** Multiple blanks fragment grading.
  • English (10)

  • The past tense of “run” is **ran**.
  • The plural of “child” is **children**.
  • A noun that can be touched is a **concrete noun**.
  • The opposite of “ancient” is **modern**.
  • A comparison using “like” or “as” is a **simile**.
  • The author of *Hamlet* is **William Shakespeare**.
  • The smallest unit of meaning in a word is a **morpheme**.
  • The 26 letters of English form the **alphabet**.
  • A word that joins clauses is a **conjunction**.
  • A figure of speech that gives human qualities to objects is **personification**.
  • Math (10)

  • Pi (π) to two decimals is **3.14**.
  • The square root of 144 is **12**.
  • In y = mx + b, the slope is **m**.
  • The sum of angles in a triangle is **180 degrees**.
  • The Pythagorean theorem: a² + b² = **c²**.
  • The largest prime less than 100 is **97**.
  • Euler's number *e* is approximately **2.718**.
  • An 8-sided polygon is an **octagon**.
  • The result of multiplication is a **product**.
  • The number that, when multiplied by any number, gives that number is **1**.
  • Science (10)

  • The chemical symbol for sodium is **Na**.
  • The largest planet in our solar system is **Jupiter**.
  • Water's chemical formula is **H₂O**.
  • The cell's powerhouse is the **mitochondrion**.
  • The process by which plants make food is **photosynthesis**.
  • The hardest natural substance on Earth is **diamond**.
  • The Earth orbits the Sun in about **365.25** days.
  • DNA stands for **Deoxyribonucleic Acid**.
  • The speed of light is roughly **3 × 10⁸** metres per second.
  • The atomic number of carbon is **6**.
  • History (10)

  • The first US president was **George Washington**.
  • WWII ended in **1945**.
  • The Berlin Wall fell in **1989**.
  • US Independence Day is on **July 4**.
  • The first man on the moon was **Neil Armstrong**.
  • The longest reigning British monarch was **Queen Elizabeth II**.
  • The pyramids of Giza are in **Egypt**.
  • The Roman Empire's capital was **Rome**.
  • The Cold War was largely between the US and the **Soviet Union**.
  • Columbus reached the Americas in **1492**.
  • Spanish (10)

  • Hello = **hola**.
  • Thank you = **gracias**.
  • Goodbye = **adiós**.
  • Water = **agua**.
  • Friend (male) = **amigo**.
  • Cat = **gato**.
  • “Yo soy” uses the verb **ser**.
  • House = **casa**.
  • Ten = **diez**.
  • Book = **libro**.
  • Pitfalls

  • Too easy if the blank gives a hint. “The capital is P___.” — trivialises.
  • Too hard without context. “The ___.” — meaningless.
  • Auto-grading edge cases. Decide in advance whether “US” vs “USA” counts.
  • For automated FITB generation, paste your source content into the AI quiz generator and select “Fill in the blank.”

  • [Quiz Question Types Explained](/blog/quiz-question-types-explained)
  • [Multiple Choice vs Open-Ended](/blog/multiple-choice-vs-open-ended)
  • [How to Write Good Quiz Questions](/blog/how-to-write-good-quiz-questions)
  • [True or False Question Examples](/blog/true-or-false-question-examples)
  • Generate FITB questions from your content →

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    Sarah Mitchell

    Curriculum Designer & Former High School Teacher

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