What is a short answer question?
A short answer question asks the candidate to type a brief response — a word, a number, a phrase — rather than choosing from options. It sits between a multiple choice question and a fully written free-text answer.
Because the author defines a list of accepted answers in advance (with control over things like case sensitivity), short answer questions can be marked automatically and instantly, with an option to fall back to manual marking for unmatched responses. That makes them a good fit where recognition isn't enough but a full essay isn't needed.