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PC-QUIZZER
Version 2.1
01-Sep-88
Copyright (c) 1987, 1988 - Data Assist, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without the express written permission of Data Assist.
The information in this document is subject to change without
notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Data
Assist. The software described is furnished under a license and
may be used or copied only in accordance with this license
agreement.
You may use this software on a single computer, but may transfer
it to another computer as long as it is used on only one computer
at a time. You may copy the software for backup purposes only.
You may modify the software for your use on a single computer.
You may not distribute any portion of this software, modified or
unmodified, without an additional license.
Use of this program indicates your acceptance of the agreement.
1
INTRODUCTION
PC-QUIZZER is a Computer Based Testing (CBT) and training package
designed for easy use while retaining many of the features found
in expensive CAI packages. The product permits the user to create
lessons without the requirement to learn a complex CAI
programming language. The lesson is presented to the student
using windows which contain options, questions, the answer
prompt, and help. In addition, PC-QUIZZER permits the use of
color text, color graphics, and music. A VOTRAX speech
synthesizer may also be used to produce speech.
Throughout this document we will refer to "the student" and "the
author". The student is the person who is taking the quiz or
lesson. The author is the person who is writing the lesson. From
the options menu the student is able to select features such as
Immediate question retry, Repeat missed questions, Almost correct
answer, Select questions based on keywords and others.
PC-QUIZZER lessons are text files which contain questions and
commands which control the presentation of the questions. The
questions used in a PC-QUIZZER lesson may be true/false, fill in
the blank, multiple choice, or K-type multiple-choice.
The questions on the quiz may be given sequentially or be
randomly chosen by the computer. Questions that are missed are
flagged for later retry, or they may be asked again immediately
until the correct answer is given.
Each question may contain multiple correct answers and incorrect
answers. Various levels of help and other information may be
included and displayed when the student needs help or has entered
a right or wrong answer.
Quiz files may be created using any standard ASCII text editor or
word processor. Once created, the entire quiz file may be loaded
into PC-QUIZZER or certain questions may be selected based on a
list of keywords. Graphics images for use with PC-QUIZZER may be
created with any graphics program, painting package or an
application program.
Another PC-QUIZZER option permits answers that are "almost
correct." This feature allows minor misspelled words to be
accepted if the response is "similar" to the correct answer. For
example: The response "Georg Washington" may be considered
correct as the answer to "Who was the first President of the
United States?"
2
PC-QUIZZER can be used for instruction in almost any subject
including foreign languages, history, science, math, vocabulary
and word definitions. It may also be used to ask trivia questions
at your next party for hours of fun. PC-QUIZZER is an excellent
educational tool and a must for everyone involved with learning
or teaching.
AVAILABILITY
PC-QUIZZER is available for the IBM PC and most compatibles.
PC-QUIZZER requires only one disk drive and either a Monochrome,
CGA, EGA, MCGA or VGA graphics adapter. The system should have at
least 384K of RAM memory. Color Graphics is only supported on
graphics adapters compatible with those made by IBM.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
PC-QUIZZER is executed by typing QUIZ from the ">" prompt.
PC-QUIZZER will begin by displaying the title screen. Press the
Return key to continue to the main menu.
The main menu contains several options which are used to load
files and set parameters which control the way PC-QUIZZER
operates. Simply press the key corresponding to the appropriate
menu option.
The following section describes in greater detail the main menu
options and how they are used.
MAIN MENU OPTIONS
A - Allow Approx. Match
This option may be used to enable or disable PC-QUIZZER from
allowing minor misspelled answers from being accepted as correct.
If this parameter is set to NO, the student must enter the answer
exactly as specified in the QUIZ file. Only an exact match will
be accepted. PC-QUIZZER will always accept answers in either
upper or lower case.
When this parameter is set to YES, PC-QUIZZER will determine if
the answer entered by the student is "almost" like one of the
correct answers given in the question entry. This feature may be
used when the student should not be penalized for a minor
misspelling of the answer.
3
B - Begin Quiz
This option is used to begin a quiz. Before you may begin a quiz
you must load one into the computer by using either Option L or
Option K. After the quiz has completed you may repeat the quiz
again by selecting Option B a second time without the need to
reload the quiz file. Also see Option M.
C - Display Correct Answer
This option is used to control if the correct answer is displayed
whenever the student enters an incorrect answer.
If this parameter is set to NO, the correct answer will not be
displayed. If this parameter is set to YES, the correct answer
will be shown to the student. You may choose to set this option
to YES while the student is studying the subject matter or is
taking a practice quiz.
Note: Should the question contain multiple correct answers, only
the first correct answer will be displayed. Also see $ANSWER.
E - Exit Program
This option will cause PC-QUIZZER to exit back to MS-DOS.
H - Display Help Lines
This option controls whether PC-QUIZZER displays HELP lines
during the quiz.
If this parameter is set to YES, the student may request help by
entering a question mark while at the answer prompt. PC-QUIZZER
will display a window containing any HELP lines given in the
question entry. If this parameter is set to NO, then the help
text will not be displayed.
If no help is available for a question and the student asks for
help, an error message will be displayed in the error window.
This parameter should be set to YES during drill and practice
sessions. Also see $HELP under the commands section.
4
I - Immediate Retry
This option is used to control whether the student will be given
a second (or third) chance to correctly answer a question.
If the Immediate Retry option is set to YES, the student is given
three attempts to supply a correct answer to a question. If the
Immediate Retry option is set to NO, the student will be given
only one try to enter the correct answer. If the student enters
an incorrect answer, the question will be graded as wrong.
The student may retry the missed question at a later time by
choosing option M on the main menu. Also see Option M.
K - Keyword Load
This option performs the same function as Option L except that
the student may specify a list of keywords. The keywords are used
to select questions from the quiz file.
After the student has specified the quiz filename, PC-QUIZZER
will display a keyword window. The keywords are entered into this
window, and the arrow keys may be used to move around the inside
of the window. When all the keywords have been entered the END
key is used to terminate the list. The keywords may be entered in
either upper or lower case.
When searching the quiz file, PC-QUIZZER will select only those
questions which contain one or more of the keywords within the
text of the question. Also see Option L and $KEY under the
commands section.
Example: Use Option K to load the STATES demo file and specify
the name of your state and the name of each of your adjacent
states.
L - Load All
This option is used to Load All questions from a quiz file. All
of the questions will be loaded and selected. After the quiz file
has been loaded, select Option B to begin the quiz. Also see
Option K.
M - Repeat Missed
After completing a quiz, Option M may be used to repeat any
questions that were missed. Option M may be repeated over and
over again until no more questions are missed. The "Wrong:" field
on the main menu indicates the number of questions which will be
selected if Option M is specified.
5
R - Random Mode
This option tells PC-QUIZZER to randomize the questions before
they are asked. This is a very useful study technique. Random
mode is the opposite of Sequential Mode. Also see Option S.
S - Sequential Mode
This option is the opposite of random mode. If sequential mode is
specified, PC-QUIZZER will present the questions in the same
order as they appear in the quiz file. This is the default mode.
Also see Option R.
V - VOTRAX Output
If your computer has a VOTRAX Type'n Talk, Personal Speech
System, or ECHO synthesizer, you may select option V to enable
speech output. PC-QUIZZER will "speak" the questions and other
messages to the student.
Note: PC-QUIZZER requires an initialization file to define the
synthesizer communications port. Registered user should contact
Data Assist for an Applications Note which describes how to set
up the port before using a speech device. Registered users with a
speech synthesizer other than those previously listed should
contact Data Assist for support.
CREATING LESSONS
Lesson files, or quiz files, may be created using any standard
text editor or word processor. If a word processor is used be
sure that the non-document or ASCII mode is used.
Questions are organized into question entries. Each entry
contains the text of the question, one or more correct answers,
any anticipated incorrect answers and optional text to be
displayed for various conditions. As you will soon discover,
other there are many other PC-QUIZZER commands that may be used
in a question entry.
6
SIMPLE COMMANDS
The question entry starts with a $QUESTION command and ends with
a $EOQ command. Each line of text between these two commands is
part of the question entry. Each question entry must also have at
least one $ANSWER command.
Example:
$QUESTION
What is 1+1?
$ANSWER 2
$EOQ
Each PC-QUIZZER command begins with a dollar sign which must
start in column one. The command name may be abbreviated to three
character, but no less!
Lets take a more detailed look at the three simple commands.
$QUESTION
Syntax: $QUESTION [name]
This command marks the beginning of a question. The question may
optionally contain a name from 1 to 8 characters in length.
Although you do not need to name a question, if a name is used,
it should be unique.
Following the $QUESTION statement is the body of the question.
This text is displayed in the question window when PC-QUIZZER
asks the student this question.
$ANSWER
Syntax: $ANSWER answer-string
The $ANSWER command tells PC-QUIZZER what the correct answer to a
question is. A question may contain multiple correct answers but
each correct answer must be specified on a different $ANSWER
command.
After the $ANSWER statement you may have additional lines of
text. These lines will be displayed in the question window if the
"answer-string" matches the answer given by the student. If your
question has multiple correct answers, you may have different
responses for each of the possible correct answers.
7
$EOQ
Syntax: $EOQ
This command marks the End Of the Question (EOQ). It must be the
last statement in the question entry. Its purpose is to mark the
end of the question and all the additional commands and text
lines which are part of the question entry.
HELP AND INFORMATION COMMANDS
$HELP
Syntax: $HELP
The $HELP command marks the beginning of a HELP block. The lines
following the $HELP statement (until the next command) will be
displayed if the student enters a "?" at the Answer prompt. If
menu option H is set to OFF then PC-QUIZZER will not provide the
student with any help.
The HELP text is displayed in the HELP window.
$RIGHT
Syntax: $RIGHT
The $RIGHT command begins a block of text which is displayed
whenever the student enters any answer that is correct. This
statement is typically used when the question contains multiple
correct answers.
$WRONG
Syntax: $WRONG
The $WRONG command is similar to the $RIGHT command except that
the block of text is displayed only if the student enters a wrong
answer.
8
$NOT
Syntax: $NOT incorrect-answer-string
The $NOT command is similar to the $ANSWER command except that it
specifies an incorrect answer. The text block following the $NOT
statement will be displayed in the question window if the student
enters an incorrect answer which matches the incorrect-answer-
string. A question entry may contain multiple $NOT commands.
$RANGE
Syntax: $RANGE low-value high-value
The $RANGE command provides an easy way to specify a numeric
answer range. The two parameters indicate the low-value and the
high-value of the correct answer.
After the $RANGE statement you may have additional lines of text.
These lines are displayed if the student's answer falls within
the specified range. A question entry may contain multiple $RANGE
commands.
Example:
$QUE
What is the square root of 2?
$RANGE 1.4140 1.4143
$ANS 1.41421
$EOQ
Note: Every question must have at least one $ANSWER command, even
if the question contains a $RANGE command.
COLOR GRAPHICS COMMANDS
PC-QUIZZER supports color graphics through the use of BSAVE and
PCX graphics files. PCX files require less disk space than BSAVE
and support most of the graphic modes used on PC's. Several
painting packages are also capable of creating PCX graphics
files.
Data Assist offers a graphics screen capture program (ARGUS)
which supports all the PCX video display modes. PC-QUIZZER users
who plan to create graphics screens may wish to purchase the
ARGUS utility.
9
BSAVE files are still supported in order to maintain
compatibility with previous versions of PC-QUIZZER. Data Assist
recommends that customers switch to using PCX files.
$CGA
Syntax: $CGA mode picture-file-name
The $CGA command is used to display a BSAVE color graphic image.
The mode parameter specifies the video mode needed to display the
graphic image. Currently only modes 4, 5 (medium resolution) and
6 (high resolution) are supported.
Picture-file-name is the name of a disk file which contains the
graphic image. The complete file path name must be given. The
graphic image must be stored in BSAVE format. Also see the
$PCOLOR command.
$PCOLOR
Syntax: $PCOLOR palette-number
Before using the $CGA command you should set the desired
pallet-number by using the $PCOLOR command. The palette-number
may be either 0 or 1 on a Color Graphics Adapter.
$PAINT
Syntax: $PAINT x-loc y-loc color-code
The $PAINT command is used to paint an area of the screen. The
x-loc and y-loc specify the starting x and y location of the area
to paint. PC-QUIZZER will paint the area using the color-code
specified. The area to be painted must be outlined with a color
different from the present color of the area. See demo file
USA.QIZ.
Note: $PAINT should NOT be used to paint complex areas of the
screen. Doing so may cause the stack to overflow and the PC to
lock up!!!
10
$ASK
Syntax: $ASK prompt-string
The purpose of the $ASK command is to prompt the student for an
answer while a graphics image is displayed. If the $ASK command
is not used, PC-QUIZZER will return to the text screen and prompt
the student for an answer. If $ASK is used while a text screen is
currently displayed, it will be ignored. See demo file USA.QIZ.
$PCX
Syntax: $PCX mode pcx-file
The $PCX command is used to display a graphics file stored in PCX
format. The mode parameter represents the graphics mode needed to
display the picture. The mode also defines the Horizontal and
Vertical dimensions of the picture as well as the number of
colors: (HORIZONTAL x VERTICAL x COLOR):
0 - CGA (320 x 200 x 4)
1 - CGA (640 x 200 x 2)
2 - EGA (320 x 200 x 16)
3 - EGA (640 x 200 x 16)
4 - EGA (640 x 350 x 2)
5 - EGA (640 x 350 x 16)
6 - VGA (640 x 480 x 2) [also used on MCGA]
7 - VGA (640 x 480 x 16)
8 - VGA (320 x 200 x 256) [also used on MCGA]
9 - Hercules (720 x 384 x 2)
Example:
$PCX 8 BUNNY.PCX
This command will display a picture of a bunny using 256 colors
on a VGA or MCGA graphics system.
Note: Only modes 0, 1, 6 and 8 are supported in PC-QUIZZER. All
modes are supported in PC-QUIZZER+. The ARGUS utility (available
from Data Assist) is required to capture a PCX graphics screen.
Although many other products are capable of creating PCX files,
Data Assist can only guaranty the products that we sell!
11
COLOR AND MONOCHROME TEXT COMMANDS
When using a color monitor you may wish to display characters of
different colors in your questions. This is accomplished by use
of the $TEXT, $TCOLOR and $TATTRIB commands.
$TEXT
Syntax: $TEXT text-string
The $TEXT command displays the text-string in the question
window. If the text string contains sub-strings enclosed inside
of {} characters, these sub-strings will be colored using the
color codes specified by the $TCOLOR or $TATTRIB commands. Each
group of sub-strings may be colored differently. Up to ten
sub-strings may occur within one text-string.
$TCOLOR
Syntax: $TCOLOR index f-color b-color [BLINK]
The $TCOLOR command defines a foreground color and background
colors for use with the $TEXT command. The index may range from 1
to 10. You may optionally use the modifier BLINK to select a
blinking color. The $TCOLOR statement must come before the first
$TEXT statement within the question entry.
Up to ten different color groups may be defined and used per
$TEXT command. Once the colors are defined by $TCOLOR, they may
be used by multiple $TEXT commands within the same question
entry. See demo file TCOLOR.QIZ.
The color codes which may be specified for f-color and b-color
are: Black, Blue, Green, Cyan, Red, Magenta, Brown, White, Grey,
LBlue, LGreen, LCyan, LRed, LMagenta, Yellow and LWhite.
Example:
$QUE
$TCOLOR 1 BLACK WHITE
$TCOLOR 2 WHITE BLACK BLINK
$TCOLOR 3 RED BLACK
$TEXT This is {Reversed}. This is {Blinking}. This is {RED}.
And this is a normal line of text...
$TEXT What does {1+1} equal?
$ANS 2
$EOQ
12
$TATTRIB
Syntax: $TATTRIB index f-attrib b-attrib
The $TATTRIB command provides an alternate, shorthand method to
specify foreground and background colors. This command performs
the same function as $TCOLOR. However numeric attribute (color)
codes are used rather than the symbolic codes as used by $TCOLOR.
$TATTRIB also provides the ability to specify attributes for use
with Monochrome monitors and color display adapters which use
non-standard color attributes. See demo file MONO.QIZ.
ADDITIONAL COMMANDS
$KEY
Syntax: $KEY keyword-1 keyword-2 ...
The $KEY command gives the author the ability to specify keywords
in a question entry. The keyword(s) specified on the $KEY
statement are used by the Keyword Load Option (K) to select
questions based on keywords.
$PRESS
Syntax: $PRESS
The $PRESS command will cause PC-QUIZZER to display "Press Enter
to continue" in the answer window. The lesson will pause until
the student presses the Enter key or the Return key. The command
may be used to divide up a large question into paragraphs that
fit inside of the question window.
Another use for the $PRESS command is just prior to the use of a
$CGA command. This allows the student an opportunity to read a
question before being presented with a graphic image.
13
$PLAY
Syntax: $PLAY music-string
The $PLAY command is used to play music. The music string
contains an expression which describes the music to be played.
The music string uses a format similar to the PLAY statement in
BASIC. See demo file MUSIC.QIZ.
A-G: plays this note in the current octave.
On: sets n as the current octave. (0..6)
Nn: plays note n. (0..84)
Ln: set the length of the following notes. (1..64)
Pn: set the length of a rest. (1..64)
Tn: sets the number of quarter notes in a minute (32..255)
>n: plays note n in the next higher octave.
<n: plays note n in the next lower octave.
ML: play complete period of Ln value.
MN: play 7/8 time of Ln value.
MS: play 3/4 time of Ln value.
Example:
$QUE
Name this tune...
$PLAY T120L4MNO4C8C8DCFE2C8C8DCGF2C8C8O5CO4A
$PLAY FED2T90B-8B-8AFGF2
$ANS HAPPY BIRTHDAY
That was an easy one.
$EOQ
$SLEEP
Syntax: $SLEEP seconds
The $SLEEP command causes PC-QUIZZER to sleep for the specified
number of seconds. If any key is pressed while PC-QUIZZER is
sleeping, the program will continue.
$TALK
Syntax: $TALK speech-string
This command will output the speech-string on a speech
synthesizer.
14
ADVANCED COMMANDS
$CHOICE
Syntax: $CHOICE style
The $CHOICE command is used to display a menu of answers. The
student selects their answer by using the arrow keys on the
keypad. The style parameter is used to indicate the type of
answer that is expected. The valid style parameters are:
K - when a K-type answer is needed.
T - when a True/False answer is needed.
C - when a single Character answer is needed.
N - when a Numeric answer is needed.
X - when an eXact answer is needed.
The lines following the $CHOICE command are used as the items on
the menu. The menu is presented to the student using a scroll-bar
window. When style K or T is specified, PC-QUIZZER generates the
menu automatically.
The answer for the question (specified with the $ANSWER command)
must contain the correct number of characters:
K - 1 character: A, B, C, D or E
T - 1 character: T or F.
C - 1 - Must match the first character of the answer.
N - 1 to 70 - Must exactly match the answer.
X - 1 to 70 - Must exactly match the answer.
Example:
$QUE
In what month was George Washington born?
$CHOICE C
A. January
B. February
C. March
D. April
E. May
$ANS B
$EOQ
Note: Sample file CHOICE.QIZ provides additional examples showing
the use of the $CHOICE command.
15
$KTYPE
Syntax: $KTYPE code
PC-QUIZZER provides a facility to accept K-type questions. The
K-type question format is often used on professional
examinations.
A K-type question contains 4 items of which 1 or more are true.
The answer is either A, B, C, D, or E and is formed using these
fixed rules:
The answer is A if items 1, 2 and 3 are true.
The answer is B if items 1 and 3 are true.
The answer is C if items 2 and 4 are true.
The answer is D if only item 4 is true.
The answer is E if items 1, 2, 3 and 4 are true.
Example:
$QUE
Which of the following Presidents were in office before 1850?
1. George Washington
2. Ronald Reagan
3. Andrew Jackson
4. Abraham Lincoln
$ANS B
$! B means that 1 and 3 are true.
$KTYPE 1
George Washington's term began in 1789.
$KTYPE 2
Ronald Reagan's term began in 1981.
$KTYPE 3
Andrew Jackson's term began in 1829.
$KTYPE 4
Abraham Lincoln's term began in 1861.
$EOQ
The correct answer in this example is B, which means that (1)
George Washington and (3) Andrew Jackson were both in office
before 1850 and the others were not.
Should the student incorrectly answer this question, PC-QUIZZER
will use the text following the corresponding $KTYPE statement to
display why the specified answer was wrong.
Note: In order for PC-QUIZZER to properly ask a K-type question,
the above format must be used. For more insight into using K-type
questions load the file KTYPE.QIZ from the distribution disk.
16
Note: KTYPE questions may not be used in conjunction with Graphic
Screens.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PC-QUIZZER may be used on a Monochrome Monitor or a Color
Graphics Monitor. The program defines 6 windows which are used
for all screen displays. They are numbered as follows:
1 - Main Menu Window
2 - Question & File Load Window
3 - Answer Window
4 - Help & Keyword Load Window
5 - Error Window
6 - Grade Window
On a Monochrome system each window appears the same color. On a
color system PC-QUIZZER defines each window using just black and
white. If you have a color monitor, you may find it desireable to
display the text windows using different colors as this makes the
presentation more attractive. This may be done by typing the
command COLOR from the MS-DOS prompt before you start PC-QUIZZER.
Example:
C> COLOR
C> QUIZ
PC-QUIZZER uses direct memory I/O to the video screen. While this
technique is very fast, it is also prone to not work correctly on
some not-so-compatible computers. Please contact Data Assist if
you are having any problems using PC-QUIZZER on your video
system.
---
PC-QUIZZER permits all responses to be entered in upper or lower
case. This includes menu options as well as keywords and question
answers.
---
When entering True/False questions into the quiz file, the author
should enter "$ANSWER T" or "$ANSWER F" as the correct answer.
This will enable the student to enter "T", "F", "TRUE" or "FALSE"
as their answer.
17
RESTRICTIONS
For PC-QUIZZER a maximum of 100 questions may be entered into a
question file. PC-QUIZZER+ allows up to 300 questions per file.
Depending on the size of the questions and amount of memory in
your computer, it is possible to exceed memory before all of the
questions have been loaded.
---
The length of each quiz text line should not exceed 100
characters.
ERROR MESSAGES
Can't open the quiz file. Please try again -- The quiz file
specified does not exist or the filename was entered incorrectly.
Illegal CGA mode -- Only CGA modes 4, 5 and 6 are supported in
this version of PC-QUIZZER. See section on $CGA command.
Illegal command or parameter -- A command was read from the quiz
file which is either an unknown command or is a legal command
which contains an illegal parameter. Correct the statement and
try again.
Maximum of 100 questions loaded -- A maximum of 100 questions
were loaded from the quiz file. PC-QUIZZER will only use the
first 100 questions on the quiz. 300 questions for PC-QUIZZER+.
No questions are currently selected -- Before entering option B
to begin a quiz, you must load a quiz file using either option K
(Keyword Load) or option L (Load All).
No questions were missed -- An attempt has been made to use
option M when there are no questions marked as being missed. See
discussion of option M.
18
Not enough memory -- PC-QUIZZER was unable to allocate enough
memory to work correctly. For most quiz files, 384K of memory
should be sufficient.
Question entry is missing an answer -- A question does not
contain an $ANSWER statement. PC-QUIZZER will skip this question.
Quiz file is empty. Please try another file -- The file you are
trying to load into PC-QUIZZER does not contain any questions.
Are you sure that you specified the correct name of a quiz file?
This question does not have an answer. Skipping on -- PC-QUIZZER
is trying to ask you a question which does not have an answer.
Edit the quiz file and be sure that each question entry has at
least one $ANSWER command with the correct answer specified. See
also $ANSWER.
Too many lines read -- The quiz file you are loading is too big
for the version of PC-QUIZZER that you have. (3000 lines) Make
the quiz smaller and try again.
Unable to display PCX screen -- While executing a $PCX command,
PC-QUIZZER was unable to display the picture. Make sure that the
picture file exists on your disk. This error can also occur if
PC-QUIZZER attempts to display a picture and you do not have the
appropriate graphics hardware.
Unable to load picture -- While executing a $CGA or $MCGA
command, PC-QUIZZER was unable to locate the file which contains
the graphic image. Make sure that the picture file exists in the
path you specified on the command.
Unable to open VOTRAX port -- PC-QUIZZER could not open the port
which drives the VOTRAX unit. Make sure that the port is
configured into your system.
VOTRAX port is unknown to PC-QUIZZER -- Prior to using the VOTRAX
device with PC-QUIZZER you must create an initialize file which
sets up the port. Contact Data Assist for support.
19
SAMPLE FILES
Several sample quiz files have been included on the distribution
diskette. These files are intended to show examples of the format
used to build your own lesson files. We suggest that you
experiment with these files to help you better understand how to
use PC-QUIZZER.
REQUESTS
Data Assist has designed PC-QUIZZER to be both flexible and easy
to use. Like any software package there are numerous improvements
and additions which could be made. We have received several
requests and invite you to submit written requests at any time.
Registered users are asked to "vote" for the requests that they
would like to see implemented. To vote, simply mail us a letter
indicating which requests from the list below you would like to
see implemented. Those items which get the most votes will get
the most attention in future releases. Be sure to include your
own requests or comments if you have any.
REQ001: Add EGA graphics support. (Available in PC-QUIZZER+)
REQ002: Add an $INCLUDE command to include files.
REQ003: Save scores on disk with student names. Also a list of
which questions they missed would be nice. (Available in PC-
QUIZZER+).
REQ004: Allow colors to be used in help messages.
REQ005: Would like to save a quiz in the middle and resume at a
later time.
REQ006: Need to have multiple part questions, i.e., here is some
text, and these five questions are about this text. The GMAT has
questions like this.
REQ007: Would like to be able to change menu options like
A,C,H,R,S and I in the middle of the quiz.
REQ008: Would like to "preview" a quiz, i.e., have the computer
ask the questions and show me the answer. Then I can practice
typing in the answers. Later on I will take the quiz and enter
the answers the normal way. Many times I just want to learn how
to spell the answers and this would sure help.
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REQ009: Provide an option to scan a quiz and mark the questions
to be selected. It would be nice if the selected questions could
be written back to disk as another quiz.
REQ010: Sometimes I find typo errors in my questions. I'd like to
be able to call up an editor while in PC-QUIZZER and fix it. An
integrated Editor would be perfect!
REQ011: For very large questions, I'd like to be able to scroll
back and forth in the window. Need this capability on the HELP
window too.
REQ012: I would like to say "Skip question M if I got question N
right." Or "Skip question M if I got question N wrong..."
REQ013: Need to have numeric answer ranges. (Now available).
REQ014: The ability to load selected questions from multiple quiz
files using keywords. The ability to load all questions from
multiple files.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PC-QUIZZER was written in Turbo C from Borland International.
About 10% of the code is assembler. We have found the Turbo C
compiler to be very fast and highly recommend it.
A special thanks to our customers (and even some non-customers)
who have provided us with numerous ideas, suggestions and
requests.
TRADEMARKS
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft.
IBM-PC is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation.
PC-QUIZZER is a trademark of Data Assist.
Turbo C is a registered trademark of Borland International.
VOTRAX and Type'n Talk are trademarks of VOTRAX Corporation.
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