Question type

Closed-ended questions

A closed-ended question is a survey question with a fixed list of answer options, from which the respondent picks one. It is fast to answer and easy to count, so it forms the backbone of most questionnaires. Its weakness is that people can only give the answers you thought of in advance.

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Closed-ended question examples

How did you hear about us? (Search engine / Friend / Social media / Event)
Which plan are you on? (Free / Pro / Team / Business)
How often do you use the app? (Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Less often)
What is your role? (Founder / Manager / Specialist / Student)

Each list is mutually exclusive and covers the realistic range. That is the whole craft of a closed question.

Closed-ended questions in research

Researchers like closed questions because every respondent answers the same thing in the same terms, so results compare cleanly between groups, regions and years. Demographics, behaviour frequency and factual status are almost always closed.

The price is lost nuance. If the right answer is not on the list, the person picks the nearest wrong one, and you never find out. Pilot the question on ten people with an open version first, then turn their answers into options.

Semi-closed questions and the “Other” option

A semi-closed question is a closed list plus a way to write your own answer. Askyo has no built-in “Other” field. The working pattern is an “Other” option connected on the logic graph to a Short answer block, so only people who chose it are asked to specify.

Writing answer options that hold up

Two to seven options. Past seven, a dropdown reads better.
No overlaps: “1–5 employees” and “5–10” both contain 5.
Order options logically (by size or frequency), not by your internal priority.
If several answers can be true at once, it is a multiple choice question, not a single one.

Test the list on yourself with three imaginary respondents: a heavy user, a newcomer and someone who almost left. If any of them hesitates between two options or finds none that fits, the list needs another pass. Five minutes here saves a week of arguing about what the “Other” pile means.

When a closed question is the wrong tool

Early discovery is the classic case. If you write the options before you understand the problem, you only measure your own assumptions. Sensitive topics are another: a list of reasons for leaving a job can feel like a trap, while an optional open box gets more honest answers.

And long lists of equal-looking items (twenty cities, fifty product names) belong in a dropdown or a search field, not in a stack of tiles on a phone screen.

How to analyse single-answer results

share of option = answers for the option ÷ all answers to the question × 100%

Shares add up to 100%. Cross-tabulate them with another closed question (plan by role, say) to see differences between groups.

Building it in Askyo

The One from the list block shows options as a vertical stack of tiles the respondent taps; on a phone each tile is a full-width target. You add, rename and delete options inline, or paste a whole list at once. Options keep the order you give them: there is no shuffle.

Every option can lead somewhere different on the logic graph, which is how a single-choice question becomes a branching point. In quiz mode an option can be marked correct and given points. Analytics lists options by count with the top answer highlighted.

What you can set

the list of options

Templates that already use it

«Which section does the idea relate to?» Feedback form Feedback
«Rough budget» Client questionnaire Leads and contacts
«Years of relevant experience» Candidate questionnaire HR and team
«How did your child prepare for school?» First-grade parent questionnaire Education
«How long has your child been attending?» Settling into kindergarten Education
«Where do you usually hear school news?» Parent satisfaction with the school Education
«Who is filling in the form?» School meals survey Education
«How would you prefer to hear from the teacher?» Feedback for the class teacher Education
«How many times a week could your child attend?» Clubs and after-school activities: interest survey Education
«How many planets are there in the Solar System?» Knowledge test with scoring Education
«Which single emergency number, including the fire service, works from any mobile phone in Russia and the EU?» Staff assessment test with scoring Education
«Your gender» Health questionnaire Research
«Your age» In-depth market research Research
«How many railway terminals does Moscow have?» Quiz: test yourself Quizzes
«How big is your team?» Lead-gen quiz for a landing page Quizzes
«An email with a link arrives from an unknown sender. What do you do?» Training test Quizzes
«Which option do you pick?» Vote: pick an option Voting
«What do we improve first?» Residents’ vote Voting
«How big is your team?» ✨ ASTRA · early access Showcase

Frequently asked questions

Closed-ended questions: common questions

What is the difference between open and closed-ended questions?

A closed-ended question offers fixed options and the respondent picks one; an open-ended question has no options and takes free text. Closed answers are counted, open answers have to be read and coded. Most surveys use closed questions for the facts and one open question for the reasons.

Is a yes/no question closed-ended?

Yes. A yes/no question is the simplest closed-ended question, with exactly two options. In research it is called a dichotomous question. It is fast to answer but hides degrees of opinion, so pair it with a scale when intensity matters.

How do I add an “Other, please specify” option in Askyo?

Add an option called “Other” and, on the logic graph, connect it to a Short answer block asking people to specify. Everyone else skips that block. There is no built-in write-in field inside the choice question itself.

Neighbouring types

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Write four clean options, connect the odd one out to a follow-up, and publish in a few minutes.

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