A good multiple-choice question often shows the characteristics of short, concise, lively and unforgettable. The examination objectives are clear and specific, with appropriate materials and strong pertinence. In the specific design process, the following four relationships should be handled well:

1. Draw materials and layout.

The knowledge involved in cartographic data should be less than or greater than, and should belong to basic knowledge. Derivative knowledge should not be used as the carrier of examination. Each question should have 1 ~ 3 knowledge points, and a single question can contain more knowledge points, but it is best not to exceed 4, otherwise the discrimination of the questions will be reduced.

The presentation of test questions and the selected materials are the relationship between form and content. Therefore, it is necessary to be harmonious and commensurate, and the sentences should be concise, standardized and clear. In particular, the use of terms and symbols must be accurate, and life terms that are easily misunderstood must never be used.

2. Knowledge and skills

Almost all test questions examine knowledge and skills at the same time, but due to the characteristics of multiple-choice questions, it is generally not appropriate to pay equal attention to both. When focusing on knowledge, skills should be diluted, and when focusing on skills, the requirements for knowledge cannot be deepened. In the exam, as a multiple-choice group, there can be more questions that focus on skill examination.

3. Stem and options

In order to ensure the integrity and compactness of the test questions, it is necessary to carefully arrange the stem of the test questions and the division and connection of each option. The division should be appropriate and the related words should be accurate and clear, so that the whole question can be read smoothly. In addition, the setting of misleading items should aim at the possible mistakes of candidates, put forward representative contents and sort them out. The forms of correct items and misleading items should be coordinated as much as possible, and strive for similarity and symmetry.

4. Tradition and innovation

Multiple choice questions focus on the examination of basic knowledge and skills. In a group of multiple-choice questions, there is no need to deliberately innovate each question, because doing so will greatly increase the difficulty of the whole question group and the workload of the proposition, but each question is a familiar traditional face, which is completely original, which will reduce the difficulty of the whole question group and make it difficult to guarantee the discrimination of the exam. Therefore, tradition and innovation must be taken into account. According to the purpose of the exam and the actual situation of the candidates, considering the large answering capacity and the difficulty of individual questions, candidates should be given more time to answer questions. In multiple-choice questions, it may be more appropriate to control the ratio of traditional questions to innovative questions at about 5∶ 1.