Keeping in mind the principle of minimal information, very complex subjects tend to be spread out in an exaggerated number of notes, which ends up making difficult the work of reviewing, editing and understanding their “larger context”. In other words: the information ends up fragmented without there being a connection between the piece of knowledge that is being questioned in Anki, with the “major theme”.
An effective way to solve this problem would be to create another type of cloze note, as suggested in the title, a “massive cloze note”.
This would work as follows: a single subject would be exhausted in just one note with as many clozes as needed to learn it, however, each “paragraph” or “field” would serve as the minimum context from which the answer would come out. For example:
Field “Subject”: History of Technology
(Field 1 or first paragraph) In {{c1::1942}}, emerged {{c2::Nuclear power}}. As part of the {{c3::Manhattan}} Project to build the first {{c3::atomic bomb}}.
(Field 2 or second paragraph) In {{c4::1947}}, emerged {{c5::Transistor}}. On December 23 Bell Labs engineers {{c5::John Bardeen}}, {{c5::Walter Brattain}}, and {{c5::William Shockley}} gave the first public demonstration of the transistor, an {{c6::electrical component}} that could control, amplify, and generate {{c6::current}}.
(Field 3 or third paragraph) In {{c7::1957}}, emerged {{c8::Spaceflight}}. The {{c9::Soviet Union}} launched the first {{c10::artificial satellite}}, {{c11::Sputnik 1}}.
When Anki wants to introduce me to cloze 5 (c5), this is the expected behavior for the front of the note (showing ONLY the paragraph/field where the c5 is found):
Field “Subject”: History of Technology
(Field 2 or second paragraph) In 1947, emerged […] . On December 23 Bell Labs engineers John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley gave the first public demonstration of the transistor, an electrical component that could control, amplify, and generate current.
But after answering the card, the back reveals all the information of all the other paragraphs/fields with the highlight to the target c5 (as usual), for example:
Field “Subject”: History of Technology
(Field 1 or first paragraph) In 1942, emerged Nuclear power. As part of the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb.
(Field 2 or second paragraph) In 1947, emerged Transistor . On December 23 Bell Labs engineers John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley gave the first public demonstration of the transistor, an electrical component that could control, amplify, and generate current.
(Field 3 or third paragraph) In 1957, emerged Spaceflight. The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.
Advantages of the approach:
- Ease of organizing, editing and reviewing cards.
- larger context presented right after the answer (right or wrong).
- less information to read and confusion as concepts are internalized, as it will not be necessary to reread the entire note.
- Saving notes in libraries: in the example, we would have only one note instead of having to formulate 11 different ones, similar to: “In what year did nuclear energy, transistor…?”
- MOST IMPORTANT: errors with immediate feedback. In the example, suppose that instead of correctly answering c5, you answer “Nuclear Power” (which would be the answer of c2); in a simple “question/answer” card the error would be evident, but the fixation of the right concept would be lost in the middle of the review, as “I know the correct answer is Transistor, but when did Nuclear Power appear?”.
