Artifacts or Abduction: How Do LLMs Answer Multiple-Choice Questions Without the Question?
Tags: machinelearning, ai, beginners, datascience
Published: 2024-06-11 16:27:34

*This is a Plain English Papers summary of a research paper called [Artifacts or Abduction: How Do LLMs Answer Multiple-Choice Questions Without the Question?](https://aimodels.fyi/papers/arxiv/artifacts-or-abduction-how-do-llms-answer). If you like these kinds of analysis, you should subscribe to the [AImodels.fyi newsletter](https://aimodels.substack.com) or follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mikeyoung44).*

## Overview

- This paper investigates how large language models (LLMs) can answer multiple-choice questions without being given the actual question.
- The authors design experiments to test if LLMs are simply identifying artifacts in the answer choices or using genuine reasoning to arrive at the correct answer.
- The findings suggest that LLMs may be relying more on detecting patterns in the answer choices rather than truly understanding the question.

## Plain English Explanation

The paper explores an interesting phenomenon - the ability of LLMs to correctly answer multiple-choice questions without being given the actual question. This is a bit puzzling, as one would expect that understanding the question is a critical part of answering it correctly.

The researchers designed experiments to try to uncover how the LLMs are able to do this. [They wanted to see if the LLMs were simply identifying patterns or artifacts in the answer choices, rather than using genuine reasoning to arrive at the correct answer based on an understanding of the question.](https://aimodels.fyi/papers/arxiv/beyond-answers-reviewing-rationality-multiple-choice-question)

The key insight is that if the LLMs were truly reasoning about the questions, they should perform similarly well regardless of how the answer choices are presented. But if they are instead relying on identifying certain patterns or cues in the answer choices, then their performance may change depending on how those choices are structured.

[The experiments suggest that the LLMs may be doing more "pattern matching" than actual reasoning.](https://aimodels.fyi/papers/arxiv/can-multiple-choice-questions-really-be-useful) In other words, they seem to be detecting certain artifacts or clues in the answer choices that allow them to select the correct answer, without necessarily understanding the underlying question.

This raises some interesting questions about the nature of intelligence and reasoning in LLMs. While they are clearly capable of impressive feats, this study suggests that their abilities may be more narrow and superficial than we might have assumed.

## Technical Explanation

The paper presents a series of experiments designed to investigate how LLMs are able to answer multiple-choice questions without being given the actual question.

[The authors define a multiple-choice question answering (MCQA) task, where LLMs are provided with a set of answer choices and must select the correct one.](https://aimodels.fyi/papers/arxiv/multiple-choice-questions-large-languages-models-case) Crucially, the question itself is not provided - only the answer choices.

The key experimental manipulation is to alter the structure and presentation of the answer choices, to see if this affects the LLMs' performance. If the LLMs are truly reasoning about the question, then their performance should be consistent regardless of how the choices are presented.

[However, the results suggest that the LLMs' performance is highly sensitive to the structure of the answer choices.](https://aimodels.fyi/papers/arxiv/math-multiple-choice-question-generation-via-human) When certain patterns or artifacts are present in the choices, the LLMs are able to leverage these to select the correct answer. But when these cues are removed or obscured, the LLMs struggle.

This indicates that the LLMs may be relying more on detecting surface-level features in the answer choices, rather than engaging in deeper reasoning about the underlying question. [The authors refer to this as "abduction" - using the available information to infer the likely correct answer, rather than true deductive reasoning.](https://aimodels.fyi/papers/arxiv/exploring-automated-distractor-generation-math-multiple-choice)

## Critical Analysis

The paper raises some important caveats and limitations to the capabilities of current LLMs. While they are able to perform impressive feats on multiple-choice tasks, this study suggests that their abilities may be more narrow and superficial than we might have assumed.

One key limitation is that the LLMs appear to be relying heavily on detecting patterns and artifacts in the answer choices, rather than truly understanding the underlying question. This calls into question the depth of their reasoning abilities and the extent to which they can be trusted to make principled decisions.

Additionally, the authors note that the LLMs' performance is highly sensitive to the way the answer choices are structured and presented. This suggests that their capabilities may be more fragile and context-dependent than we might hope for in an intelligent system.

Further research is needed to better understand the nature of reasoning in LLMs, and to develop techniques to encourage more robust and principled decision-making. While these models continue to impress, this study highlights the importance of scrutinizing their capabilities and limitations.

## Conclusion

This paper presents a thought-provoking investigation into the abilities of large language models to answer multiple-choice questions without being given the actual question. The findings suggest that LLMs may be relying more on detecting patterns and artifacts in the answer choices, rather than engaging in true deductive reasoning about the underlying question.

This raises important questions about the nature of intelligence and reasoning in these models, and highlights the need for further research to better understand their capabilities and limitations. As LLMs continue to advance, it will be crucial to carefully evaluate their performance and ensure that they are not simply exploiting surface-level cues, but are truly capable of principled decision-making.

Overall, this paper contributes to a growing body of work that aims to critically examine the capabilities of large language models, with the goal of developing more robust and trustworthy AI systems.

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