The combinational-format item (CFI)--multiple-choice item with combinations of alternatives presented as response choices--was studied to determine whether CFIs were different from regular multiple-choice items in item characteristics or in cognitive processing demands. Three undergraduate Foundations of Education classes (consisting of a total of 120 students) at a large midwestern university participated in this study within their regular classrooms. Items from previous American College Testing programs were modified to form straight linear, single response, or multiple response formats for either single answer or all-inclusive answer items. A second study investigated the processing demands of the combinational-format. Undergraduates (n=43) in educational psychology courses at a large midwestern university were administered a computerized test comparing the formats, and reaction times were measured. Straight linear, single-response, and multiple-response formats showed similar item difficulty and discrimination values regardless of their response option status, indicating no reason to prefer one item phrasing over the others. In the second experiment, combinational options resulted in more processing demands than did non-combinational ones. Although item characteristics did not seem affected by the use of multiple-response items, the CFIs did appear different in the processing demands placed on the subject. (SLD)