Well.. if 60% of pupils got the answer wrong, given the full explanation before the multiple choice answers, maybe it has more to do with reading ability than STEM disposition or method of questionning :/
Except that in real-life I wouldn't put the lens too close to the glass, because a) the microscope seems (by the description) to be able to crush the glass, and b) I wouldn't bet on myself remembering which way to turn the knob to raise the lens instead of lowering it.
IMO this is a thinking vs. saying what they want you to say problem. It pops up often when a kid has more experience with subject matter than the test author.
I can only speak from personnal experience: the first time I used a microscope I did break a glass by trying to zoom in first. I had no manual but I wouldn't have read it anyway (nowadays I do read instructions before using anything). When I read this particular article I "played" the game and answered correctly (hooray for me). I agree this kind of test has nothing to do with STEM because it is interchangeable and could be devised for any courses ; my point is that it's "just" a comprehensive reading test and if you fail it it means you fail at comprehensive reading which is one of the most basic skills one pupil should acquire. I agree it has nothing to do with validating specific STEM knowledge but nevertheless the explanations are correct and useful in the STEM field and understanding them is important. Now, if american science courses are only about those kind of tests it's a little bit concerning: Scoring A's in every courses just because you understand the questions versus scoring A because you understand the courses.
Not: I am not american so I don't know how education is organised in the US.
