# What's the Question Part of a Multiple-Choice Question Called?

> The answer is the stem. It's the technical term for the basic question or problem itself, separate from the multiple-choice answer options.

Canonical: https://fadejunkie.com/practice/life-skills/exam-stem-definition  
Last updated: 2026-08-11

**The answer is the stem. It's the technical name for the question or problem itself, separate from the answer choices.**

Distractor refers to the wrong answer choices, and key or rationale refer to other testing concepts entirely — none of them name the question part itself. Knowing this term helps when test-prep advice tells you to focus on the stem for clues to the right answer.

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