Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study

Multiple-choice questions are commonly used to assess knowledge through a set of possible answers to a given question. Determining the correct answer relies on the balance between understanding the question’s content and the associated logic. Generative models are widely applied in Multiple-Choice...

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Main Authors: Guilherme Dallmann Lima, Emerson Lopes, Henry Pereira, Marilia Silveira, Larissa Freitas, Ulisses Corrêa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: LibraryPress@UF 2025-05-01
Series:Proceedings of the International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference
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Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/FLAIRS/article/view/138969
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author Guilherme Dallmann Lima
Emerson Lopes
Henry Pereira
Marilia Silveira
Larissa Freitas
Ulisses Corrêa
author_facet Guilherme Dallmann Lima
Emerson Lopes
Henry Pereira
Marilia Silveira
Larissa Freitas
Ulisses Corrêa
author_sort Guilherme Dallmann Lima
collection DOAJ
description Multiple-choice questions are commonly used to assess knowledge through a set of possible answers to a given question. Determining the correct answer relies on the balance between understanding the question’s content and the associated logic. Generative models are widely applied in Multiple-Choice Question Answering (MCQA) tasks, as they can process the context and predict the correct answer based on the provided input. In this regard, the language used in the question is a critical factor, as comprehension may require understanding linguistic nuances. This work investigates the performance of transformer-based generative models in the MCQA task for Portuguese, under both zero-shot and one-shot scenarios. We compare monolingual (Sabiá-7B and Tucano-2B4) and multilingual (LLaMA-8B and LLaMA-3B) models on MCQA datasets focused on college entrance exams, aiming to evaluate the influence of prior knowledge and the model's adaptation to complex languages. Our results demonstrate that, although LLaMA-8B was not specifically trained for Portuguese, it outperforms the Sabiá-7B model on the ENEM-Challenge and BLUEX datasets. Finally, we show that multilingual models with more recent architectures outperform monolingual models.
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spelling doaj-art-e5e145223fb94a9d90dcfc4455bb58d82025-08-20T03:10:06ZengLibraryPress@UFProceedings of the International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference2334-07542334-07622025-05-0138110.32473/flairs.38.1.138969Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental StudyGuilherme Dallmann Lima0Emerson Lopes1Henry Pereira2Marilia Silveira3Larissa Freitas4Ulisses Corrêa5University Federal of PelotasFederal University of PelotasFederal University of PelotasFederal University of PelotasFederal University of PelotasFederal University of Pelotas Multiple-choice questions are commonly used to assess knowledge through a set of possible answers to a given question. Determining the correct answer relies on the balance between understanding the question’s content and the associated logic. Generative models are widely applied in Multiple-Choice Question Answering (MCQA) tasks, as they can process the context and predict the correct answer based on the provided input. In this regard, the language used in the question is a critical factor, as comprehension may require understanding linguistic nuances. This work investigates the performance of transformer-based generative models in the MCQA task for Portuguese, under both zero-shot and one-shot scenarios. We compare monolingual (Sabiá-7B and Tucano-2B4) and multilingual (LLaMA-8B and LLaMA-3B) models on MCQA datasets focused on college entrance exams, aiming to evaluate the influence of prior knowledge and the model's adaptation to complex languages. Our results demonstrate that, although LLaMA-8B was not specifically trained for Portuguese, it outperforms the Sabiá-7B model on the ENEM-Challenge and BLUEX datasets. Finally, we show that multilingual models with more recent architectures outperform monolingual models. https://journals.flvc.org/FLAIRS/article/view/138969TransformersQuestion AnsweringGenerative AI
spellingShingle Guilherme Dallmann Lima
Emerson Lopes
Henry Pereira
Marilia Silveira
Larissa Freitas
Ulisses Corrêa
Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study
Proceedings of the International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference
Transformers
Question Answering
Generative AI
title Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study
title_full Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study
title_fullStr Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study
title_full_unstemmed Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study
title_short Generative Models for Multiple-Choice Question Answering in Portuguese: A Monolingual and Multilingual Experimental Study
title_sort generative models for multiple choice question answering in portuguese a monolingual and multilingual experimental study
topic Transformers
Question Answering
Generative AI
url https://journals.flvc.org/FLAIRS/article/view/138969
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AT mariliasilveira generativemodelsformultiplechoicequestionansweringinportugueseamonolingualandmultilingualexperimentalstudy
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