I have created a lesson that contains Matching Questions. When I created the different matching options I discovered that if I used the HTML option for both Column A and Column B (Question||Correct Answer) that the answer would not be recognised, and it would be impossible to get the application to acknowldge a correct match. As I explored further I discovered that if I used the HTML on Column A only (Question), and left Column B as MoodleAutoFormat (Answer) then I could have colours in my question text, and the application would recognise the correct answers.

I also tested this in the current demonstration site at WWW.Moodle.org to ensure that it wasn't just our installation - and got the same result.

To replicate:

1. Create a lesson
2. Add a Question page of type 'Matching'
3. Fill in a Title; Description text; correct answer response; wrong answer response; Question text one "Blue is a..."- SELECT HTML FORMAT; Matching Answer Text one "Colour"- SELECT HTML FORMAT: Question text two "Cold is a..." - SELECT HTML FORMAT; Matching Answer Text two "Temperature" - SELECT HTML FORMAT
4. Save the question
5. Re-Open the question in Edit mode, the tiny MCE editors are now available for the question/matching text....
6. Apply HTML formating to Question text one and Question text two...
7. no need to add any to the matching text, as they appear in a drop down and do not get formatted...
8. Save the question
9. Open the question in 'Preview' mode - apply the correct matches to the correct answer (Blue is a... COLOUR || Cold is a... Temperature)
10. Submit the answer and the application returns the 'Wrong Answer' response.
11. Create a second question, replicating the first, however in the second question only SELECT HTML FORMAT for the question text, and leave the Matching Answer text answers as the MOODLE AUTO FORMAT -
12. Save and re-open the question editor to apply the formating as above...
13. Save the changes to the 2nd question...
14. Now open in the Preview mode - and answer the questions - the correct responses will now give the correct answer response.

If this is not a bug - can someone move this to a product suggestion, can the Moodle Docs be updated to inform users about this limitation? - I mistakenly believed that the format of the Answer should match the question... but that does not appear to be the case... Once SELECT HTML FORMAT has been added to a question/answer it is impossible to turn it off, so the only work around is to re-create the question...and scrap the original