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, thinking is best described as which kind of mental process?
(A) A lower reflex process that works without any information(B) A higher mental process that manipulates and analyses information(C) A purely physical response to sensory stimulation(D) A process that other people can directly observe - 1 markWhy can we not directly see what a chess player is thinking before making his move?
(A) Because chess players think only in images(B) Because thinking happens only when we are asleep(C) Because chess is played by habit and needs no thinking(D) Because thinking is an internal process inferred from overt behaviour - 1 markAs the chapter defines it, an image is a mental representation of what?
(A) A sensory experience(B) A category of objects sharing common properties(C) A set of grammar rules(D) A reward received in the past - 1 markWhich of these is the main benefit of forming concepts, according to the chapter?
(A) It makes us store every object as a separate memory(B) It stops us from forming any new categories(C) It organises knowledge so it is reached with less time and effort(D) It replaces mental images in all kinds of thinking - 1 markKabir sees a tiny four-legged animal with a dog-like face, wagging its tail and barking at strangers, and says it is a new breed of dog. What is he doing?
(A) Using lateral thinking to find a new use(B) Going through the incubation stage(C) Producing many answers through divergent thinking(D) Matching its features with an existing concept and naming the category - 1 markIn the water in three bottles activity, why do many people fail to solve the seventh problem?
(A) The three bottles cannot hold the required amount(B) A mental set formed by the earlier problems makes them repeat the same sequence(C) They lack the fluency to think of many uses(D) The seventh problem has no possible solution - 1 markDuring a power cut, Meena needs to hammer a nail and picks up a heavy hardbound book to do it. Which obstacle has she overcome?
(A) Functional fixedness(B) Mental set(C) Linguistic determinism(D) Lack of motivation - 1 markRavi sees a man on the platform enter a train compartment and come back with a bag, and concludes the man had left his bag inside. Which reasoning has Ravi used?
(A) Deductive reasoning(B) Reasoning by analogy(C) Inductive reasoning(D) An automatic judgment - 1 markAccording to the chapter, most cases of scientific reasoning belong to which type of reasoning?
(A) Deductive(B) Inductive(C) Analogical(D) Lateral - 1 markThe statement ‘water is to fish as air is to human’ is an example of which form of reasoning?
(A) Deductive reasoning(B) Inductive reasoning(C) Functional fixedness(D) Analogy - 1 markAnanya must choose between Psychology and Economics in Class XI. She talks to seniors, attends a few classes and weighs her interest and future prospects. This is mainly an example of what?
(A) Decision-making by evaluating the costs and benefits of alternatives(B) A mental set blocking new strategies(C) The incubation stage of creative thinking(D) Telegraphic speech in a two-word stage - 1 markApplying the brakes on seeing a red light is given in the book as an example of which process?
(A) A judgment based on personal preference(B) A creative act showing originality(C) An automatic judgment that occurs as a matter of habit(D) An inductive inference from many observations - 1 markWhich psychologist, a pioneer in creativity research, proposed convergent and divergent thinking as two types of thinking?
(A) J.P. Guilford(B) Edward de Bono(C) Noam Chomsky(D) Jean Piaget - 1 markIn a class activity Sana lists twenty-five uses of a paper cup while Tom lists six. Which divergent thinking ability is clearly higher in Sana?
(A) Elaboration(B) Convergent thinking(C) Verification(D) Fluency - 1 markStuck on a design problem, Arjun leaves it aside for a day, and the solution strikes him later while bathing. The period when he left the problem aside is which stage?
(A) Preparation(B) Incubation(C) Verification(D) Illumination - 1 markWhat does Bruner’s phrase ‘effective surprise’ describe in relation to creative thinking?
(A) The fit of an idea with its context(B) The careful checking of an idea for errors(C) The instant surprise people feel at an unusual idea or product(D) The shock of failing to solve a problem - 1 markAt about what age do children enter the two-word stage of language development?
(A) 18 to 20 months(B) About six months(C) About nine months(D) Close to the third birthday
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): In some situations, a mental set can increase the speed and quality of problem solving.
Reason (R): Prior success with a particular strategy sometimes helps in solving a new problem.
(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): Divergent thinking helps in producing novel and original ideas.
Reason (R): Divergent thinking is the thinking required for problems that have only one correct answer.
(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): Experimental evidence fully supports the strong version of Whorf’s linguistic relativity hypothesis.
Reason (R): Evidence shows that the same quality of thought is possible in all languages, depending on the linguistic categories available.
(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): Children enter the babbling stage at around six months of age.
Reason (R): The first sound produced by babies is crying.
(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 thinkers in List I with the ideas in List II.
List I: (i) Benjamin Lee Whorf (ii) Jean Piaget (iii) Lev Vygotsky (iv) Noam Chomsky
List II: (a) Children are born with universal grammar (b) Linguistic relativity hypothesis (c) Thought precedes language (d) Thought and language merge at about two years
(A) i-a, ii-c, iii-d, iv-b(B) i-b, ii-d, iii-c, iv-a(C) i-c, ii-b, iii-a, iv-d(D) i-b, ii-c, iii-d, iv-a - 1 markMatch de Bono’s thinking hats in List I with what each covers in List II.
List I: (i) White hat (ii) Red hat (iii) Black hat (iv) Green hat
List II: (a) Feelings and emotions (b) Creativity, alternatives and changes (c) Information, facts and figures (d) Judgment, caution and logic
(A) i-a, ii-c, iii-d, iv-b(B) i-c, ii-a, iii-d, iv-b(C) i-c, ii-d, iii-a, iv-b(D) i-d, ii-a, iii-c, iv-b
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the two statements.
I. Bilingualism refers to attaining proficiency in communicating through any two languages.
II. According to the chapter, a person can have only one mother tongue.
(A) Only I is correct(B) Only II is correct(C) Both I and II are correct(D) Neither I nor II is correct - 1 markConsider the two statements.
I. Deductive reasoning proceeds from a general assumption to a particular conclusion.
II. Inductive reasoning draws a general conclusion from particular observations.
(A) Only I is correct(B) Only II is correct(C) Both I and II are correct(D) Neither I nor II is correct
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange the stages of the creative thinking process in the correct order.
1. Illumination
2. Preparation
3. Verification
4. Incubation
(A) 2-1-4-3(B) 4-2-1-3(C) 2-4-3-1(D) 2-4-1-3 - 1 markArrange these stages of a child’s language development in the order in which they appear.
1. Babbling
2. Telegraphic speech
3. Cooing
4. One-word stage (holophrases)
(A) 1-3-4-2(B) 3-4-1-2(C) 3-1-4-2(D) 1-3-2-4
6 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich one of these is NOT among the divergent thinking abilities listed in the chapter?
(A) Fluency(B) Flexibility(C) Convergent thinking(D) Elaboration
7 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Sunita wanted to raise the crop yield of her village. Her classmates suggested better seeds, more fertilizer and proper irrigation. Sunita instead wondered whether useful protein could be taken out of the weeds growing on the dry land nearby. Her teacher said that linking ideas we do not usually connect is a mark of creative thinking, but added that every such idea must later be tested to see whether it really works.
- 1 markSunita’s idea of taking protein out of weeds on dry land is best described as which of these?
(A) A mental set(B) Functional fixedness(C) Analytical thinking(D) A remote association - 1 markThe teacher’s advice that every idea must later be tested matches which stage of the creative process, using which kind of thinking?
(A) Verification, using convergent thinking(B) Incubation, using divergent thinking(C) Preparation, using lateral thinking(D) Illumination, using vertical thinking
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (B) The book calls thinking a higher mental process through which we manipulate and analyse acquired or existing information.
- (D) Thinking is an internal mental process; we can only infer the player’s strategy from his next move.
- (A) An image is a mental representation of a sensory experience, used to think about things, places and events.
- (C) Concept formation organises knowledge (like a tidy cupboard or a library), making thinking quick and efficient.
- (D) We extract an object’s characteristics, match them with an existing category, and if they match we give it that category’s name.
- (B) Problems 1 to 5 are solved by B – A – 2C; the seventh needs the direct A – C, but the mental set makes people stick to the old steps.
- (A) The book says that using a hardbound book to hammer a nail means you have overcome functional fixedness (being fixed on a thing’s usual function).
- (C) Reasoning based on specific facts and observation that draws a general conclusion is inductive reasoning, the book’s own platform example.
- (B) Most cases of scientific reasoning are inductive: many instances are considered to find the general rule that covers them.
- (D) Analogy has four parts, A is to B as C is to D, with the same relation between each pair.
- (A) This is the book’s own decision-making example: the choices are known and one is selected by weighing costs and benefits.
- (C) Some judgments are automatic, need no conscious effort and occur as a matter of habit, such as braking at a red light.
- (A) J.P. Guilford, a pioneer in creativity research, proposed convergent and divergent thinking.
- (D) Fluency is the ability to produce many ideas; the more uses of a paper cup, the higher the fluency.
- (B) Leaving the problem for some time after getting stuck is incubation; ideas may then strike while doing something else, such as taking a bath.
- (C) Creative thinking is characterised by Bruner’s ‘effective surprise’: people who meet an unusual idea or product are instantly surprised or startled.
- (A) Children enter the two-word stage at 18 to 20 months; babbling starts around six months and echolalia around nine months.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both are true, and R explains A: because an earlier strategy worked, reusing it can speed up solving a similar new problem.
- (C) A is true. R is false: problems with only one correct answer need convergent thinking; divergent thinking is open-ended.
- (D) A is false: the book says experimental evidence maintains the opposite of linguistic determinism. R is true as stated.
- (B) Both statements are true, but crying being the first sound does not explain when babbling begins.
Match the Following
- (D) Whorf: linguistic relativity; Piaget: thought determines and precedes language; Vygotsky: separate origins, merging at about two years; Chomsky: universal grammar.
- (B) White = information and facts; Red = feelings; Black = judgment, caution, logic; Green = creativity and alternatives (Box 7.2).
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) I is the book’s definition. II is wrong: Box 7.3 says it is possible for individuals to have multiple mother tongues.
- (C) Both are correct: deduction is general to particular; induction is particular to general.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (D) Preparation, then incubation, then illumination (the ‘Aha’ moment), and last verification.
- (C) Crying turns into cooing, then babbling (about six months), the one-word stage (about one year) and the two-word telegraphic stage (18 to 20 months).
Odd One Out
- (C) Divergent thinking abilities are fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration; convergent thinking is the opposite type.
Passage-Based Questions
- (D) Linking ideas not normally associated (food production with desert or weeds) is the book’s example of a remote association.
- (A) In verification the worth of an idea is tested and judged; convergent thinking selects the idea that works.
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