What are reverse-scored items?

A) items scored in the opposite direction from the order of the response scale
B) items scored with a zero
C) items that a test taker skipped
D) items that are thrown out of the assessment

Reverse-scored items are items that are scored in the opposite direction from the order of the response scale. For example, if a response scale ranges from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), a reverse-scored item would be scored from 5 (strongly disagree) to 1 (strongly agree). The purpose of reverse-scored items is to identify participants who are not paying attention or are responding randomly. It also helps to balance out response bias.