Grant Writing MCQs

Grant Writing MCQs

These Grant Writing multiple-choice questions and their answers will help you strengthen your grip on the subject of Grant Writing. You can prepare for an upcoming exam or job interview with these 100+ Grant Writing MCQs.
So scroll down and start answering.

1: True or false? The Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter.org) is a primary source of information for private foundation grant opportunities.

A.   True

B.   False

2: Which of the following is true about foundations?

A.   Most foundations are large and award small grants.

B.   Most foundations are large and award large grants.

C.   Most foundations are small and award small grants.

D.   Most foundations are small and award large grants.

3: What is the best way to describe objectives?

A.   Narrow and focused

B.   Specific and measurable

C.   Clear and concise

4: Which of these is NOT considered a permissible method to deliver a paper copy of a grant application?

A.   United States Postal Service

B.   In person

C.   Faxed copy

D.   Overnight mail

5: Some deadlines for federal grants are as few as how many days?

A.   90

B.   45

C.   30

D.   60

6: True or False? It takes less planning to write a preliminary proposal than a final one.

A.   False

B.   True

7: If a subcontract is awarded, what organization is responsible for the subcontractor's work?

A.   The subcontractor

B.   The funding agency

C.   The organization that received the grant

8: True or False? Because the National Institutes of Health (NIH) uses a modular budget approach for grants totaling $250,000 or less, it is not necessary to develop a detailed budget.

A.   True

B.   False

9: While there can be only one Principal Investigator of a project, how many co-Principal Investigators may be included on a grant proposal?

A.   As many as can be justified in their roles and qualifications to accomplish the objectives of the project.

B.   2

C.   3

D.   4

10: True or False? The number and amount of grants awarded by corporate foundations varies with the profits earned by the company.

A.   True

B.   False

11: True or False? Exceeding the page limitations for a grant proposal may result in it not being reviewed.

A.   True

B.   False

12: In a three-year project, plans for sustainability should begin during which year?

A.   Year 1

B.   Year 3

C.   Year 2

13: If a grant proposal is rejected, what should be your next step?

A.   Start from scratch with a new idea

B.   Send the proposal to another agency

C.   Convene a project team meeting, make revisions suggested by reviewers and resubmit to the same agency

D.   Wait a year and try again

14: What is the best way to format a proposal?

A.   According to the guidelines, using identical headings in the same order as they appear in the Request for Proposals

B.   Any way that makes the proposal easy to read

C.   Any way that will allow you to make the most of page limitations

D.   Any way that demonstrates creativity and good writing

A.   District dropout rate

B.   District poverty rate

C.   District achievement test scores

D.   Number of grant awarded to the district in the past

16: Is it better to use active or passive voice when writing a grant proposal?

A.   A combination of active and passive voices for variety

B.   Passive voice

C.   Active voice

17: True or False? If a university grant proposal includes human subjects, the Institutional Review Board must provide approval before the project begins.

A.   False

B.   True

18: Which of these strategies would NOT increase the chances of a Principal Investigator's federal grant being funded?

A.   Reviewing abstracts of funded proposals

B.   Having a conference call with a program officer

C.   Calling his/her Congressional representatives and asking them to put in a good word for him/her

D.   Reading proposals that have been funded

19: Which statements are true about letters of support?

A.   Should be general in nature

B.   May be signed by anyone in the organization

C.   Should describe commitments of partners

D.   Should praise the funder

20: Which of these is an example of a well-written objective?

A.   Summer institutes will be held each year to attract female high school students to engage in engineering activities.

B.   To support female students interested in engineering, a mentoring program will be developed and implemented.

C.   The percentage of female students at Syracuse University majoring in engineering will increase.

D.   By the end of the three-year project, the percentage of female students at Syracuse University majoring in engineering will increase by 5%.

21: Which of these BEST characterizes grant writing style?

A.   Short and to the point

B.   Clear and concise

C.   Long explanations

D.   Intellectual and readable

22: "True or False?" Some reviewers only read the project abstract.

A.   True

B.   False

23: For what length of time do reviewers of federal grants serve on panels?

A.   It varies, depending upon the agency

B.   For one grant cycle only

C.   3 years

D.   1 year

24: What is the source of funding for most state grants?

A.   Federal flow-through funds

B.   State officials

C.   State legislature

D.   State universities

25: In collaborative grant funded projects involving several organizations, how are contracts awarded?

A.   Each organization receives a separate award from the funder but reports to the lead organization.

B.   (None of these)

C.   Each organization receives a separate award from the funder and reports directly to the funder.

D.   The lead organization receives the award from the funder and then subcontracts with the other organizations for their portion of the work.

26: What is the purpose of a letter of intent to a foundation?

A.   To alert the foundation that a proposal is being developed

B.   To solicit feedback from the funder on the project

C.   To help the foundation determine if it would like to invite the applicant to submit a full proposal.

D.   To introduce the applicant to the foundation

27: Which of these would NOT be found in a needs statement?

A.   Stories that illustrate the need addressed

B.   Research

C.   Literature review

D.   Statistical data

28: Which of the following can greatly enhance an applicant's chances of being awarded a foundation grant but is less important when applying for government grants?

A.   A history of grant funding

B.   A well written proposal

C.   Personal and professional connections

D.   An accurate budget

29: True or False? Matching requirements for budgets never exceed 50%.

A.   True

B.   False

30: Is it better to use "will" or "would" when writing a proposal?

A.   "Would" because it is less presumptuous and the grant award has not been made

B.   "Will" because it implies commitment and confidence

C.   Writers should use a combination of "will' and "would" in their proposals.

31: Ture or false? Although federal grant reviewers may use scoring rubrics, the review process is subjective.

A.   True

B.   False

32: Which of these is the BEST idea for asking an outside reviewer to review the grant proposal before submission?

A.   To see if the budget seems realistic

B.   To read the narrative with "fresh eyes"

C.   To pose questions

D.   To see if anything was left out

33: How does the peer review process for federal grants work?

A.   Each reviewer reads and assigns scores to proposal sections using the selection criteria. Then the review panel meets to discuss the proposals, reach consensus and rank the proposals .

B.   Each reviewer reads the proposals but does not assign scores. The review panel then meets to discuss the proposals and collectively assigns scores. Then the proposals are ranked.

C.   Each reviewer reads and assign scores to proposal sections using the selection criteria. The program officer adds the totals together and ranks the proposals.

34: What is the first step in developing a grant proposal?

A.   Developing a draft budget

B.   Planning the project

C.   Contacting potential collaborators

D.   Researching potential funders

35: Which of these statements about abstracts is NOT true?

A.   Abstracts are often used to route proposals to appropriate reviewers.

B.   Abstracts should be written for specialists as well as generalists.

C.   Abstracts are the last written and least important part of a grant proposal.

D.   Abstracts of funded projects are often posted on funder web sites.

36: Which of these words of advice is NOT appropriate for use of statistics in the needs section of the proposal?

A.   Think large. The more global the data, the better.

B.   Make sure the data used is relevant to the project need.

C.   Think small. The more local the data, the better.

D.   Use the most up-to-date statistics you can find.

37: The greatest percentage of foundation awards go toward which type of support?

A.   Program support

B.   General support

C.   Capital support

D.   Research

38: True or False? Many private foundations do not issue Requests for Proposals.

A.   False

B.   True

39: Which of these strategies can grant applicants use when the indirect rate allowed by the funder is smaller than its federally negotiated indirect rate?

A.   Accept the lower indirect rate now but try to negotiate it to be higher if the grant is awarded

B.   (None of these)

C.   Cost share the difference between the funder's fixed rate and the agency's indirect rate, if allowed

D.   Ignore the allowable indirect rate

40: Which of the following is NOT true of pilot projects?

A.   Funding for pilot projects is less competitive than for larger projects.

B.   Pilot projects can provide valuable data to support future grant efforts.

C.   Pilot projects help establish a "track record" for the applicant.

D.   Pilot projects are smaller and less complex than larger grants.

41: If the quantitative part of the evaluation indicates if the project is meeting its objectives, what role does the qualitative part play?

A.   It provides feedback on how well the project is following its timeline.

B.   It provides an explanation of the data collected for the quantitative part.

C.   It provides feedback on what effect(s) the program is having on participants.

D.   It provides feedback on how well the project staff are performing their roles.

42: Which of these strategies should a grant writer NOT use to maximize space in a grant proposal?

A.   Insert charts

B.   Include bulleted lists

C.   Create tables

D.   Include acronyms

43: Which of these expenses would NOT be considered indirect costs?

A.   Consultant fees

B.   Equipment rental

C.   Rent

D.   Utilities

A.   Dissemination

B.   Budget

C.   Abstract

D.   Evaluation

45: By law what percentage of the value of a foundation's assets must be donated to charitable causes?

A.   5%

B.   3%

C.   2%

D.   8%

46: Who are the primary reviewers of federal grant proposals?

A.   Congressional members

B.   Department staff members

C.   Program officers

D.   Peers who are experts in their fields

47: Which of the following is NOT the responsibility of a grant writer?

A.  

B.   Interpreting proposal guidelines

C.   Writing annual progress reports after the project is funded.

D.   Convening planning meetings

E.   Contacting potential collaborators

48: Which of these parts would be found in program proposals but not research proposals?

A.   Research Design

B.   Hypothesis

C.   (None of these)

D.   Specific Aims

49: A seperate indirect cost rate agreement must be negotiated with each federal agency at the time of grant submission.

A.   True

B.   False

50: True or False? Because reviewers of federal grant proposals use scoring rubrics, the grant review process is very objective.

A.   False

B.   True