TEST

TEST is a question-and-answer quiz authoring tool that lets users enter their own questions and answers, then administers the quiz in a randomized order. The program stores up to m questions and answers in string arrays, using a shuffle mechanism based on an index array y() that shrinks as questions are used. A two-attempt scoring system awards 2 points for a correct first answer and 1 point for a correct second answer, with a masked hint displayed between attempts — showing only the first and last letters of the answer with dashes filling the middle. The finished quiz is saved to tape using SAVE with LINE 20 so it restarts directly into the quiz loop rather than the authoring section.

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Program Structure

The program is divided into two distinct phases. Lines 500–670 handle authoring: the user inputs questions, answers, and saves the compiled quiz. Lines 10–480 are the quiz engine itself. The SAVE at line 670 uses LINE 20 so that when the saved file is loaded back, execution begins at line 20 (the quiz engine), bypassing the authoring section entirely. The comment at line 15 (REM ***RUN 500) signals the user to manually GO TO 500 when authoring a new quiz.

Data Structures

Four arrays are allocated dynamically in line 520 after the number of questions m is known:

• c$(m,64) — question/clue strings, up to 64 characters each
• a$(m,15) — answer strings, up to 15 characters each
• l(m) — length of each answer (used for hint masking and substring comparison)
• y(m) — index array for randomized question selection without repetition

Randomization Without Repetition

The shuffle technique uses an index array rather than rearranging the data arrays. At line 30, y(n)=n initializes the index. At line 60, a random position z is picked within the remaining count x, and the question index q=y(z) is extracted. Lines 70–80 then compact the array by shifting elements down, effectively removing the used entry. The variable x counts down from m to 0, controlling the loop at line 140.

Two-Attempt Scoring and Hint System

The variable t is set to 2 at line 90 for each new question, representing full marks for a correct first attempt. If the first answer is wrong, control passes to line 310 where t is reduced to 1 and a hint is displayed. The hint (line 330) reveals only the first and last characters of the answer, replacing intermediate characters with dashes from b$:

• a$(q,1) — first character of the answer
• b$(1 TO l(q)-2) — dashes for the hidden middle portion
• a$(q,l(q)) — last character of the answer

If the second attempt also fails (t=1 at line 260), the correct answer is revealed in full.

Answer Comparison

Line 110 compares the user’s input i$ against a truncated slice of the fixed-length answer array: a$(q)(TO l(q)). Since a$(m,15) pads entries with spaces, comparing the full field would always fail for answers shorter than 15 characters. Using l(q) (the original LEN of the answer) avoids this padding problem.

Authoring UX

During entry (lines 530–620), the program confirms each question/answer pair on screen and waits for either s (save) or d (delete and re-enter). This is handled by the single-keypress subroutine at lines 460–480, which first waits for any held key to be released (line 460) before waiting for a new keypress (lines 470–480), preventing key-repeat artifacts.

Subroutine at Line 400/410

Line 400 contains only a REM; the actual “Press ENTER to continue” prompt begins at line 410. The GO SUB 400 call at line 40 therefore executes the REM as a no-op and falls through to line 410 — this is intentional and harmless, functioning identically to GO SUB 410.

Display Management

The string e$ (32 spaces) is used throughout to clear specific screen regions with PRINT AT statements, avoiding a full CLS and preserving surrounding content. This is a common technique for flicker-free partial screen updates.

Notable Anomalies

• Line 40 calls GO SUB 400 before the quiz loop to display the answers for preview, then immediately clears the screen — this appears to be a demonstration/intro feature, cycling through all answers with a 50-frame pause each.
• If the user presses ENTER immediately (empty input) on the first attempt, line 240 skips the “wrong” message and jumps straight to the hint at line 260, giving a cleaner flow when the user simply doesn’t know the answer.
• The variable p$ used in line 660 is not declared, which is fine in BASIC but means it holds whatever was last assigned to it if the authoring section is re-entered.