diff --git a/src/program/ProgramInit.js b/src/program/ProgramInit.js
index d4db00f..658486f 100644
--- a/src/program/ProgramInit.js
+++ b/src/program/ProgramInit.js
@@ -54,9 +54,12 @@ module.exports = Class( 'ProgramInit',
      */
     'public init'( program, doc_data )
     {
-        const defaults = program.defaults || {};
         const data = doc_data || {};
-        const groups = program.meta.groups;
+
+        const {
+            defaults = {},
+            meta: { groups = {}, qtypes = {} },
+        } = program;
 
         Object.keys( program.groupExclusiveFields ).forEach( group =>
         {
@@ -64,10 +67,17 @@ module.exports = Class( 'ProgramInit',
 
             while ( i-- )
             {
-                const field = program.groupExclusiveFields[ group ][ i ];
+                const field         = program.groupExclusiveFields[ group ][ i ];
                 const default_value = defaults[ field ];
 
-                if ( !defaults.hasOwnProperty( field ))
+                // generated questions with no types should never be part of
+                // the bucket
+                if ( !this._isKnownType( qtypes[ field ] ) )
+                {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                if ( !defaults.hasOwnProperty( field ) )
                 {
                     continue;
                 }
@@ -96,8 +106,25 @@ module.exports = Class( 'ProgramInit',
                     }
                 }
             }
-        });
+        } );
 
         return Promise.resolve( data );
     },
+
+
+    /**
+     * Determine whether question type QTYPE is known
+     *
+     * This assumes that the type is known unless QTYPE.type is "undefined".
+     *
+     * @param {Object} qtype type data for question
+     *
+     * @return {boolean} whether type is known
+     */
+    'private _isKnownType'( qtype )
+    {
+        return qtype
+            && ( typeof qtype.type === 'string' )
+            && ( qtype.type !== 'undefined' );
+    },
 } );
diff --git a/src/server/Server.js b/src/server/Server.js
index 6fd7127..60a965c 100644
--- a/src/server/Server.js
+++ b/src/server/Server.js
@@ -536,6 +536,8 @@ module.exports = Class( 'Server' )
      */
     'private _getDefaultBucket': function( program, quote_data )
     {
+        // TOOD: this duplicates some logic with ProgramQuoteCleaner; we
+        // probably do not need both of them
         return this._progInit.init( program, quote_data.data );
     },
 
diff --git a/src/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleaner.js b/src/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleaner.js
index 3eac650..001ca97 100644
--- a/src/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleaner.js
+++ b/src/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleaner.js
@@ -102,11 +102,19 @@ module.exports = Class( 'ProgramQuoteCleaner',
         const update = {};
 
         const group_fields = this._program.groupExclusiveFields[ group_id ];
+        const qtypes       = this._program.meta.qtypes || {};
 
         group_fields.forEach( field =>
         {
             const flen = ( quote.getDataByName( field ) || [] ).length;
 
+            // generated questions with no types should never be part of
+            // the bucket
+            if ( !this._isKnownType( qtypes[ field ] ) )
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
             if ( flen >= length )
             {
                 return;
@@ -182,5 +190,22 @@ module.exports = Class( 'ProgramQuoteCleaner',
             metabucket.setValues( { [field_name]: [] } );
         } );
     },
+
+
+    /**
+     * Determine whether question type QTYPE is known
+     *
+     * This assumes that the type is known unless QTYPE.type is "undefined".
+     *
+     * @param {Object} qtype type data for question
+     *
+     * @return {boolean} whether type is known
+     */
+    'private _isKnownType'( qtype )
+    {
+        return qtype
+            && ( typeof qtype.type === 'string' )
+            && ( qtype.type !== 'undefined' );
+    },
 } );
 
diff --git a/test/program/ProgramInitTest.js b/test/program/ProgramInitTest.js
index 8d3ee90..02cea98 100644
--- a/test/program/ProgramInitTest.js
+++ b/test/program/ProgramInitTest.js
@@ -35,7 +35,11 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
             label:    "initializes defaults",
             defaults: { a: "one", b: "two" },
             meta: {
-                groups: {}
+                groups: {},
+                qtypes: {
+                    a: { type: "noyes" },
+                    b: { type: "noyes" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 Something: [ "a", "b" ]
@@ -73,7 +77,11 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
                 bar: "test"
             },
             meta: {
-                groups: {}
+                groups: {},
+                qtypes: {
+                    foo: { type: "noyes" },
+                    bar: { type: "noyes" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 Something: [ "foo" ],
@@ -89,7 +97,10 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
             label:    "keeps existing data with no defaults",
             defaults: {},
             meta: {
-                groups: {}
+                groups: {},
+                qtypes: {
+                    bar: { type: "text" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 SomethingElse: [ "bar" ]
@@ -103,7 +114,10 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
             label:    "does not overwrite existing data with defaults",
             defaults: { foo: "init" },
             meta: {
-                groups: {}
+                groups: {},
+                qtypes: {
+                    foo: { type: "text" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 Something: [ "foo" ]
@@ -121,7 +135,10 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
                     Something: {
                         min: 3
                     }
-                }
+                },
+                qtypes: {
+                    foo: { type: "text" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 Something: [ "foo" ]
@@ -139,7 +156,10 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
                     Something: {
                         min: 5
                     }
-                }
+                },
+                qtypes: {
+                    foo: { type: "text" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 Something: [ "foo" ]
@@ -157,7 +177,10 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
                     Something: {
                         min: 5
                     }
-                }
+                },
+                qtypes: {
+                    foo: { type: "text" },
+                },
             },
             groupExclusiveFields: {
                 Something: [ "foo" ]
@@ -169,6 +192,21 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
                 foo: [ "1", "2", "3", "4", "init" ],
             },
         },
+        {
+            label:    "ignores undefined types",
+            defaults: { foo: "default" },
+            meta: {
+                groups: {},
+                qtypes: {
+                    foo: { type: "undefined" },
+                },
+            },
+            groupExclusiveFields: {
+                Something: [ "foo" ]
+            },
+            doc_data: {},
+            expected: {},
+        },
     ].forEach( ({ label, doc_data, id, defaults, meta, groupExclusiveFields, expected }) =>
     {
         it( label, () =>
@@ -176,10 +214,10 @@ describe( 'ProgramInit', () =>
             const sut = Sut( null );
 
             const program = {
-                id:       "foo",
-                defaults: defaults,
-                meta: meta,
-                groupExclusiveFields : groupExclusiveFields
+                id:                   "foo",
+                defaults:             defaults,
+                meta:                 meta,
+                groupExclusiveFields: groupExclusiveFields
             };
 
             return expect( sut.init( program, doc_data ) )
diff --git a/test/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleanerTest.js b/test/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleanerTest.js
index cb09a4c..957f7ae 100644
--- a/test/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleanerTest.js
+++ b/test/server/quote/ProgramQuoteCleanerTest.js
@@ -42,13 +42,22 @@ describe( 'ProgramQuoteCleaner', () =>
                 exclusive: {
                     one:   [ "field11", "field12" ],
                     two:   [ "field21", "field22" ],
-                    three: [ "field31", "field32" ],
+                    three: [ "field31", "field32", "unknown_ignore_me" ],
                 },
 
                 defaults: {
                     field12: "12default",
                 },
 
+                qtypes: {
+                    "field11": { type: "text" },
+                    "field12": { type: "text" },
+                    "field21": { type: "text" },
+                    "field22": { type: "text" },
+                    "field31": { type: "text" },
+                    "field32": { type: "text" },
+                },
+
                 existing: {
                     "field11": [ "1", "", "3" ],  // leader one, two
                     "field12": [ "a", "b" ],
@@ -74,6 +83,7 @@ describe( 'ProgramQuoteCleaner', () =>
                 program.defaults             = test.defaults;
                 program.groupIndexField      = test.group_index;
                 program.groupExclusiveFields = test.exclusive;
+                program.meta.qtypes          = test.qtypes;
 
                 const updates = {};