What term describes a test whose items appear to measure what they are intended to measure?

• A. Face validity
• B. Content validity
• C. Construct validity
• D. Reliability

Answer: (A)

Face validity is about how plausible the items look in terms of measuring the intended trait or construct, based on appearance alone. It’s a subjective judgment made by test-takers or experts and doesn’t rely on data. Because the question asks for the term describing a test whose items appear to measure what they’re intended to measure, face validity fits perfectly as the surface-level sense that the test seems to assess the right thing. It’s important to remember that appearance alone doesn’t prove the test truly measures what it should; other forms of validity involve actual evidence showing what the test measures and how it relates to related constructs, while reliability is about consistency of results.