How to Add Simulations to Quiz Questions

To add simulations to quiz questions, you need two things: a way to put the simulation right next to the question, and questions that students can't answer without using it. This guide covers both. You'll see three ways to attach an interactive simulation to a quiz (on the simulation link itself, in a Google Forms quiz, and embedded in a Canvas or Moodle quiz), then how to write measure, compare and predict questions. Three worked examples with real numbers show the whole thing end to end.

Which option fits your quiz?

Option	Best when	How answers are checked	Student login
A. Questions on the Simulic link	Quick checks, homework, no LMS needed	Automatically: number ± tolerance, multiple choice, short answer with accepted answers	None, nickname only
B. Google Forms quiz with the play link	Your school already runs quizzes in Forms	The Forms answer key	Whatever your form asks for
C. Embedded in a Canvas or Moodle quiz	Scores must live in your LMS	Your LMS quiz	Your LMS login

Whichever option you pick, start on the simulation's Share page. Set the starting values first (screen, sliders, options), because each link pins the current settings and language. Every student then begins from the same state, and your answer key matches what they see.

Option A: questions on the Simulic link

This is the fastest route. The questions appear below the simulation, and students answer on the same page.

1. On the Share page, open the Questions tab and create a question set.
2. Write instructions ("Set the speed to 20 m/s and the angle to 45°, then press Fire").
3. Add up to 5 questions: short answer, multiple choice (2–5 options) or number. Number questions are graded with a tolerance, a range or a list of accepted values, plus an optional unit.
4. Optionally mark up to 3 questions as predictions. Students answer them before the simulation unlocks.
5. On the Share Links tab, create a link for the class and pick the set.
6. Share the link, the QR code, or use the Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams button.

Students type a first name or nickname, answer, and see feedback at the level you chose. You get a results table per link and a CSV export. The formative assessment guide explains feedback, retries and reading the results in detail.

Option B: a Google Forms quiz with the play link

Forms can't embed the simulation, but a link works well, especially on laptops.

1. On the Share page, create a link for the class and set its question set to No questions, so students answer only in the form.
2. Copy the play link (it looks like simulic.com/p/…).
3. In your form, turn on quiz mode and paste the play link into the form description: "Open this simulation in a new tab and keep it open."
4. Paste it again into the description of any question that depends on a specific setting, with the exact values to use.
5. Set the answer key. Forms grades short answers by matching the answers you list, so for numbers either list the rounded values you accept, or use multiple choice with clearly separated options.

A plain play link opens full screen on any device. On phones, switching tabs is clumsy, so for phone-only classes consider Option A or project the simulation in present mode and let students answer in the form.

Follow your school's rules about what the form collects. The simulation itself needs nothing from students: no account and no cookies.

Option C: embed the simulation in a Canvas or Moodle quiz

Embedding puts the live simulation inside the quiz question, so students never leave the LMS.

1. On the Share page, create a link with No questions and click Copy embed code.
2. Open the quiz question (or a text item at the top of the quiz) in your LMS editor.
3. Canvas: the question editor works like the page and assignment editors. At the time of writing, use Insert → Embed, paste the code and save. Step-by-step: embed a simulation in Canvas.
4. Moodle: switch the editor to HTML (source) view, paste the code and save. If nothing shows, your administrator needs to allow iframes in the editor. Step-by-step: embed a simulation in Moodle.
5. Preview the quiz as a student before you publish it.

Two practical notes. First, the embed code includes a small script that makes the frame grow with the content. Quiz editors often strip scripts, and then the frame stays 640 px tall, which is enough for most simulations. Second, each embed is a separate copy of the simulation. Put one embed above a group of questions rather than one in every question, so students don't lose their settings between questions. More platform details are in the in-app embed help.

If your LMS quiz supports numeric answers with a margin of error, use the same tolerances as in the examples below.

How to write questions that need the simulation

A quiz question with a simulation attached is only worth it if the simulation does real work. Five patterns do that:

• Measure: set given values and read a result. "What is the range?"
• Compare: change one variable and describe the difference. "Which angle sends it higher?"
• Predict: commit before running, then check. "If you double the speed, the range will…"
• Find the setting: work backwards from a goal. "Find an angle that lands within 1 m of 30 m."
• Explain with evidence: short answer that must quote numbers from the simulation.

Write every setting into the question, with units. Change one variable per question. Set tolerances that allow for slider steps and rounding, but not for a wrong method: ± 0.5 m on a 40 m range separates a correct reading from a wrong angle. For "find the setting" questions, use a list of accepted values, because more than one answer is usually correct.

Worked example 1: projectile range (Option A)

Simulation: Projectile Motion at an Angle. Pinned values: initial speed 20 m/s, launch angle 45°, g = 9.8 m/s².

1. Measure (number). "Press Fire. What is the range L?" Answer: 40.8 m, tolerance ± 0.5, unit m. Check: L = v0²·sin2α/g = 400 × 1 / 9.8 = 40.82 m.

2. Compare (multiple choice). "Fire at 30°, then at 60°. Which is true?"

   • 30° goes farther
   • 60° goes farther
   • Same range, and 60° goes higher (correct)
   • Same range and same height

   Both land at 35.35 m (sin60° = sin120°), but the maximum height is 5.10 m at 30° and 15.31 m at 60°.

3. Predict (multiple choice, asked again). "You double the initial speed to 40 m/s at 45°. The range will…" Options: stay the same / double / quadruple. Answer: quadruple, 163.27 m, because range depends on v0².

4. Find the setting (number, list of values). "Keep 20 m/s. Find a whole-number launch angle that lands within 1 m of 30 m." Accepted values: 23, 24, 66, 67. These give 29.36 m (23° and 67°) and 30.33 m (24° and 66°). The next angles out, 22° and 25°, miss by more than 1 m.

Worked example 2: density and floating (Option B)

Simulation: Density – sink or float. Intro screen, wood block, 4 kg and 5 L. Put the play link in the form description and these settings in each question's description.

1. Measure (short answer, answer key "800"). "What is the density of the block in kg/m³?" D = m/V = 4 kg ÷ 0.005 m³ = 800 kg/m³.
2. Measure (multiple choice). "Let the block float. What percentage of it is under water?" Options: 20% / 50% / 80% / 100%. Answer: 80%. The simulation shows 4 L submerged and the tank level at 104.0 L.
3. Predict (multiple choice). "Switch to ice (920 kg/m³). Compared with wood, the ice block floats…" Options: higher / lower / the same. Answer: lower, with 92% under water, because the fraction submerged equals the density ratio to water.

Worked example 3: titration (Option C, Moodle or Canvas)

Simulation: Acid–Base Titration and the Titration Curve. CH₃COOH 0.1 M, 20 mL acid, NaOH 0.1 M, phenolphthalein. Embed it at the top of the quiz page.

1. Measure (numeric). "How many mL of NaOH reach the equivalence point?" Answer: 20.0 mL, margin ± 0.2. Check: Veq = CaVa/Cb = 0.1 × 20 / 0.1 = 20 mL.
2. Measure (numeric). "What is the pH at the equivalence point?" Answer: 8.7, margin ± 0.1. The solution at that point is sodium acetate, which is basic.
3. Explain (multiple choice). "Why is phenolphthalein a better indicator than methyl orange here?" Correct option: "Its color change (pH 8.2–10) contains the equivalence pH; methyl orange (3.1–4.4) changes far too early."

Switch the acid to HCl and the equivalence pH drops to 7.00, which makes a good follow-up compare question.

FAQ

Will Simulic send quiz scores to my LMS gradebook?

No. If scores must be in your LMS, put the questions in the LMS quiz (Option C). Answers to questions on a Simulic link stay in Simulic, where you can export them as CSV.

Do students need an account?

Not for the simulation. With Option A they type a nickname. With Options B and C they use whatever your form or LMS requires.

The embedded simulation shows a blank box in Moodle. What now?

Your Moodle editor probably removes iframes. Ask your administrator to allow them, or paste the play link into the question instead.

Can students change the values I pinned?

Pinned values are the starting point; students can still move the controls, which most questions need. Pro adds a link option that locks parameters, so students don't see the parameter panel.