• AnswerHints()

AnswerHints()

This is an answer-checker post-filter that allows you to produce additional error messages for incorrect answers. You can trigger a message for a single answer, a collection of answers, or via a subroutine that determines the condition for the message.

Note that this filter only works for MathObjects answer checkers.

The answer hints are given as a pair using => with the right-hand side being the answer message and the left-hand side being one of three possibilities: 1) the value that triggers the message, 2) a reference to an array of values that trigger the message, or 3) a code reference to a subtroutine that accepts tthe correct answer, the student's answer, and the answer hash, and returns 1 or 0 depending on whether the message should or should not be displayed. (See the examples below.)

The right-hand side can be either the message string itself, or a referrence to an array where the first element is the message string, and the remaining elements are name-value pairs that set options for the message. These can include:

checkCorrect => 0 or 1

1 means check for messages even if the answer is correct. Default: 0

replaceMessage => 0 or 1

1 means it's OK to repalce any message that is already in place in the answer hash. Default: 0

checkTypes => 0 or 1

1 means only perform the test if the student answer is the same type as the correct one. Default: 1

score => number

Specifies the score to use if the message is triggered (so that partial credit can be given). Default: keep original score

cmp_options => [...]

provides options for the cmp routine used to check if the student answer matches these answers. Default: []

If more than one message matches the student's answer, the first one in the list is used.

Example:

        ANS(Vector(1,2,3)->cmp(showCoordinateHints=>0)->withPostFilter(AnswerHints(
                Vector(0,0,0) => "The zero vector is not a valid solution",
                "-<1,2,3>" => "Try the opposite direction",
                "<1,2,3>" => "Well done!",
                ["<1,1,1>","<2,2,2>","<3,3,3>"] => "Don't just guess!",
                sub {
                        my ($correct,$student,$ans) = @_;
                        return $correct . $student == 0;
                } => "Your answer is perpendicular to the correct one",
                Vector(1,2,3) => [
                        "You have the right direction, but not length",
                        cmp_options => [parallel=>1],
                ],
                0 => ["Careful, your answer should be a vector!", checkTypes => 0, replaceMessage => 1],
                sub {
                        my ($correct,$student,$ans) = @_;
                        return norm($correct-$student) < .1;
                } => ["Close!  Keep trying.", score => .25],
        )));