"Correct answer" or "best answer" in creating multiple choice questions

 CORRECT ANSWER:


Guidelines for developing multiple-choice items
5. Have ONLY one correct answer.

Make certain that the item has one correct answer.  Multiple-choice items usually have at least three incorrect options (distractors).


http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/cgi-bin/tomprof/posting.php?ID=932&search=general%20guidelines



BEST ANSWER

 1.  General Strategies

• Write questions throughout the term. Multiple-choice question exams are challenging and time-consuming to create. You will find it easier if you write a few questions each week, perhaps after a lecture when the course material is still fresh in your mind.
  
  
• Instruct students to select the “best answer” rather than the “correct answer”. By doing this, you acknowledge the fact that the distractors may have an element of truth to them and discourage arguments from students who may argue that their answer is correct as well. 

http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/designing_multiple_choice_questions.html

2. Tips for Creating MCQ

 If you choose a header to introduce a question, say "Choose the best answer." rather than "Choose the correct answer" because these are often exceptions. 

 http://www.thelearningmanager.com/pubdownloads/writing_effective_questions.pdf

 EITHER

1. Use either the "correct answer" or "best answer" format
Correct answer: key response is clearly right and distractors are clearly wrong
Best answer: while distractors can be relatively viable, the key response is clearly demonstrated to fulfill all conditions of the test item. Best answer should avoid "none of the above," "both a. and e. above," "all of the above," options.

http://www.studygs.net/teaching/tsttak3a.htm

2. Additional Tips for Creating MCQs

Include only one correct or best answer – don’t have multiple correct answers that students can choose from

http://www.slideshare.net/jamorrow/how-to-create-multiple-choice-questions

Here are other sites that state that they can either use "correct" or "best" answer in multiple choice questions: 

• http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=KsnbIkOF22wC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=In+making+multiple+choice:+what+to+use+best+for+correct+answer?&source=bl&ots=S3uFgIBmFE&sig=pm-W_5ZJMW0eW3JXxV-HUbFBZUY&hl=fil&sa=X&ei=ivMPUOrSEY-fmQXLo4H4DA&ved=0CFAQ6AEwATge#v=onepage&q=In%20making%20multiple%20choice%3A%20what%20to%20use%20best%20for%20correct%20answer%3F&f=false
• http://www.indiana.edu/~best/pdf_docs/better_tests.pdf
  

After reading a lot of literatures about multiple choice, it's very hard to choose between "best" and "correct" answer. I think it depends on the teacher'choice or perception and strategy to choose between correct and best answer. Just make sure that there is only ONE best or correct answer in the question.