Actually, I find essays way too subjective for this kind of test. Further, all wrong answers are not created equal. Sometimes, a wrong answer could be correct especially if more facts are considered (depending on the question of course). And guessing gets you no where.
As for those two changes, I think they more adequately reflect the intelligence of the student. If you are guessing, you get a low score anyway and since everyone will be on equal footing that is all that matters.
The only thing this does is improve the "optics." It will make it look like the scores are rising because the teachers are doing a better job, when it's not true.
That's SOP for government schools.