30 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in the common exam-style shapes. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markAccording to the NCERT chapter, development is best described as which kind of pattern of changes?
(A) Random changes that happen only during childhood(B) Temporary changes caused by illness or injury(C) Changes in body size that can be measured in centimetres(D) Progressive, orderly and predictable changes from conception throughout life - 1 markA person’s actual genetic material, not all of which is visible, is called the:
(A) Phenotype(B) Genotype(C) Reflex(D) Teratogen - 1 markWhich system in Bronfenbrenner’s contextual view consists of the culture in which the individual lives?
(A) Macrosystem(B) Microsystem(C) Mesosystem(D) Exosystem - 1 markTypically, how long does the prenatal period last according to the chapter?
(A) About 9 weeks(B) About 20 weeks(C) About 40 weeks(D) About 60 weeks - 1 markWhich newborn reflex disappears latest, between 8 and 12 months of age?
(A) Rooting reflex(B) Grasp reflex(C) Babinski reflex(D) Moro reflex - 1 markIn Harlow and Harlow’s (1962) monkey study, what did the baby monkeys’ behaviour show to be important for attachment?
(A) Contact-comfort(B) Feeding by the mother(C) Being kept in a large group(D) Hearing the mother’s voice - 1 markAccording to Piaget’s table, the concrete operational stage covers which approximate age range?
(A) 0-2 years(B) 2-7 years(C) 11-15 years(D) 7-11 years - 1 markWhich two components of adolescent egocentrism were described by David Elkind?
(A) Animism and centration(B) Imaginary audience and personal fable(C) Trust and mistrust(D) Initiative and guilt - 1 markEnvironmental agents such as drugs, radiations and pollution that cause abnormalities before birth are called:
(A) Reflexes(B) Teratogens(C) Phenotypes(D) Hormones - 1 markWhich eating disorder involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation, as the chapter describes?
(A) Bulimia(B) Obesity(C) Anorexia nervosa(D) Delinquency - 1 markCase: Meena, 10 months old, watches her father hide a rattle under a cloth, leaving part of it showing, and she pulls the cloth to get it. Which ability is she beginning to show?
(A) Centration(B) Object permanence(C) Animism(D) Hypothetical deductive reasoning - 1 markCase: Four-year-old Aarav trips over a stone and says, “This naughty stone hurt me!” Which feature of preoperational thought does this show?
(A) Conservation(B) Reversibility(C) Formal operations(D) Animism - 1 markCase: Kabir, 15, will not go to school because he is sure every student will notice and talk about a small pimple on his nose. Which concept explains this?
(A) Personal fable(B) Identity confusion(C) Centration(D) Imaginary audience - 1 markCase: Riya’s parents ridicule her questions and call her games stupid. According to Erikson, what is she likely to develop about self-initiated activities?
(A) A sense of guilt(B) A sense of trust(C) A secure attachment(D) A sense of identity - 1 markCase: Tanvi’s mother was transferred to another city, which caused tension between her parents and affected how they treated Tanvi. In Bronfenbrenner’s model, the transfer belongs to which system?
(A) Microsystem(B) Chronosystem(C) Exosystem(D) Macrosystem - 1 markCase: Six-year-old Ishaan insists the tall narrow glass holds more juice than the short broad one, though both hold the same amount. Which tendency is this?
(A) Egocentrism(B) Centration(C) Object permanence(D) Personal fable - 1 markWhich pair of cultures does the chapter compare for their different views on what causes death?
(A) Toda culture and Santhal culture(B) Bhil culture and Naga culture(C) Gond culture and Tanala culture(D) Gond culture and Maori culture - 1 markDuring middle age, which kind of memory task shows greater decline according to the chapter?
(A) Tasks involving long-term memory(B) Remembering one’s own name(C) Tasks involving short-term memory(D) Recalling a number heard a moment ago
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Infants reach for objects first by turning the whole body and later by extending only their arms.
Reason (R): Development follows the proximodistal trend, from the centre of the body towards the extremities.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The physical changes of adolescence are universal across cultures.
Reason (R): The social and psychological experience of adolescence is the same in every culture.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Girls from affluent families tend to reach menarche earlier than girls from poor families.
Reason (R): The growth spurt generally begins at the age of 12 or 13 for boys.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Pushing an infant to walk early always speeds up walking.
Reason (R): Maturation follows an orderly sequence largely dictated by the genetic blueprint.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the psychologist in List I with the contribution in List II.
List I: (i) Sandra Scarr (ii) Durganand Sinha (iii) Lawrence Kohlberg (iv) Erik Erikson
List II: (a) Stages of moral development using moral dilemmas (b) Identity confusion in adolescence (c) Parents’ environment depends partly on their own genetic predisposition (d) Ecological model of two concentric layers for Indian children
(A) i-d, ii-c, iii-a, iv-b(B) i-c, ii-a, iii-d, iv-b(C) i-c, ii-d, iii-a, iv-b(D) i-b, ii-d, iii-a, iv-c - 1 markMatch the reflex in List I with the time it disappears in List II.
List I: (i) Rooting (ii) Moro (iii) Grasp (iv) Babinski
List II: (a) 8 to 12 months (b) 3 to 4 months (c) 6 to 7 months (d) Between 3 and 6 months
(A) i-b, ii-c, iii-d, iv-a(B) i-d, ii-c, iii-b, iv-a(C) i-d, ii-a, iii-b, iv-c(D) i-c, ii-d, iii-b, iv-a
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider these statements about the life-span perspective:
I. Development is multi-directional: some dimensions increase while others decrease.
II. Plasticity means skills can be improved throughout the life-span, and it is the same in all individuals.
Which is/are correct?
(A) Only I(B) Only II(C) Both I and II(D) Neither I nor II - 1 markConsider these statements about newborns:
I. Newborns can distinguish their mother’s voice from the voices of other women.
II. Colour vision develops by about 3 months of age.
Which is/are correct?
(A) Only I(B) Only II(C) Neither I nor II(D) Both I and II - 1 markConsider these statements about the anti-drug programme named in the chapter:
I. The Society for Theatre in Education Programme works in Mumbai through school lectures.
II. The UNDCP chose the programme as an example for other non-governmental organisations in the region.
Which is/are correct?
(A) Only I(B) Both I and II(C) Only II(D) Neither I nor II
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange Piaget’s stages of cognitive development in the order in which they appear.
1. Concrete operational
2. Sensorimotor
3. Formal operational
4. Preoperational
(A) 2-4-3-1(B) 4-2-1-3(C) 2-1-4-3(D) 2-4-1-3 - 1 markArrange Bronfenbrenner’s systems from the one closest to the child to the outermost cultural layer.
1. Exosystem
2. Microsystem
3. Macrosystem
4. Mesosystem
(A) 2-1-4-3(B) 2-4-1-3(C) 4-2-1-3(D) 2-4-3-1 - 1 markArrange these steps in Kohlberg’s account of moral development in the correct order.
1. Rules of parents and society are internalised to win approval
2. Acts are judged right or wrong by reward and punishment
3. A personal moral code develops
(A) 2-1-3(B) 1-2-3(C) 2-3-1(D) 3-2-1
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (D) The book defines development as the pattern of progressive, orderly and predictable changes that begin at conception and continue throughout life.
- (B) The actual genetic material or genetic heritage of a person is the genotype; its observable expression is the phenotype.
- (A) The book says the macrosystem includes the culture in which the individual lives.
- (C) The period from conception to birth typically lasts about 40 weeks.
- (C) Table 3.1: Babinski goes at 8-12 months; rooting 3-6, Moro 6-7, grasp 3-4 months.
- (A) Whether fed by the wire or cloth mother, the monkeys preferred the cloth mother: feeding was not crucial, contact-comfort is important.
- (D) Table 3.2: Sensorimotor 0-2, Preoperational 2-7, Concrete operational 7-11, Formal operational 11-15 years.
- (B) According to David Elkind, imaginary audience and personal fable are two components of adolescents’ egocentrism.
- (B) Teratogens are environmental agents that cause deviations in normal development; common ones include drugs, infections, radiations and pollution.
- (C) Anorexia nervosa involves relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation; bulimia follows a binge-and-purge pattern.
- (B) By about 8 months a child pursues an object partly covered in her presence: the start of object permanence.
- (D) Animism is thinking that all things are living like oneself; the book’s example is a child saying “road hurt me”.
- (D) Imaginary audience is the adolescent’s belief that others are as preoccupied with them as they are with themselves, which makes them very self-conscious.
- (A) Erikson: if children are made to feel their questions are useless and games stupid, they develop feelings of guilt over self-initiated activities, not initiative.
- (C) The exosystem covers settings the child is not part of that still affect her, like a parent’s transfer.
- (B) Centration is focusing on a single feature (here height) to understand an event; it is the book’s own glass-of-juice example.
- (C) In the Gond culture death is believed to be caused by magic and demon; in the Tanala culture of Madagascar, natural forces are thought to cause death.
- (A) Decline in memory is more in tasks involving long-term memory than short-term memory; a phone number is recalled immediately but not after a few days.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both true; R explains A: control of the torso comes before the extremities.
- (C) A is true: physical changes are universal. R is false: the social and psychological dimensions depend on the cultural context.
- (B) Both are in the book, but R is about boys’ growth spurt and does not explain the earlier menarche of affluent girls.
- (D) A is false: special efforts to accelerate such behaviours do not help if the infant is not maturationally ready. R is true.
Match the Following
- (C) Scarr (c), Sinha (d), Kohlberg (a), Erikson (b).
- (B) Rooting (d), Moro (c), grasp (b), Babinski (a), as in Table 3.1.
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) I is correct. II is wrong in part: the book says plasticity varies among individuals.
- (D) Both are in the book: newborns in their first week can tell their mother’s voice from other women’s, and colour vision develops by 3 months.
- (C) I is wrong: the programme is in New Delhi and uses street performances for people aged 13 to 25. II is correct.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (D) Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete operational (7-11), Formal operational (11-15).
- (B) Micro, meso, exo, then macro (culture), as in Fig. 3.1.
- (A) Before 9 years: external authority (reward and punishment); by early adolescence: internalised rules; then gradually a personal moral code.
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