Understanding Growth and Development — Quiz

Q1. A school nurse records the height and weight of every Class 4 child in Rampur and notes the increase from last year. Which concept is she basically documenting?

• A. Development
• B. Socialisation
• C. Maturation
• D. Growth

Q2. Six-year-old Aman has just learnt to hold a pen properly and write his name. This improvement in functioning is an example of

• A. growth, because his hand has become bigger
• B. socialisation by his peer group
• C. maturation only, with no role of learning
• D. development, because there is a qualitative change in his functioning

Q3. Development is 'progressive, orderly and coherent.' The word 'orderly and coherent' in this definition means

• A. the changes happen randomly in any direction
• B. the changes can be stopped by the environment
• C. every child shows the same change at the same age
• D. the changes that occur are definitely related to those that precede or will follow

Q4. Two siblings, Rishabh and Chitranshu, grow up in the same home. Rishabh plays football daily; Chitranshu avoids physical effort and is later diagnosed with an enlarged heart. Which principle of development BEST explains the difference between them?

• A. Principle of continuity
• B. Principle of integration
• C. Principle of individual differences
• D. Principle of generality to specificity

Q5. A toddler first says 'inna' for every object he sees, and later starts saying specific words like 'maa' and 'pa'. Which principle of development does this language change illustrate?

• A. Principle of integration
• B. Principle of predictability
• C. Principle of differentiation in rate
• D. Principle of generality to specificity

Q6. Sixteen-year-old Pinky is gaining physical maturity. Her social circle has shrunk to girls only, and she shows attraction to the opposite gender. Her physical change has affected her social and emotional behaviour. Which principle of development does this case BEST illustrate?

• A. Principle of predictability
• B. Principle of individual differences
• C. Principle of sequentiality
• D. Principle of interrelation

Q7. 'girls grow faster than boys at the early stage of development' and that feet, nose and hands develop earlier in adolescence than the shoulders. These observations are examples of

• A. the principle of differentiation in rate
• B. the principle of continuity
• C. the principle of integration
• D. the principle of interaction

Q8. A neonate (a newborn in the first two weeks) typically sleeps for about

• A. 8 to 10 hours a day
• B. 12 to 14 hours a day
• C. almost 24 hours a day
• D. 18 to 20 hours a day

Q9. In which stage of development does the child first exhibit the 'semiotic function' — the ability to deal with symbols?

• A. Infancy and toddlerhood
• B. Adolescence
• C. Later childhood
• D. Early childhood

Q10. Ms. Sharma pours the same water from a wide glass into a tall narrow glass. Her 5-year-old student Priya now insists the narrow glass has more water. This is because in early childhood the child

• A. has not yet developed the semiotic function
• B. has reached the stage of abstract thinking
• C. is in the stress and storm stage of life
• D. still lacks reversibility in thinking

Q11. Which set of features BEST describes the later childhood stage (about 7 to 12 years)?

• A. Rapid physical growth, sleeping 18–20 hours, dependence on mother
• B. Ego-centric thinking, baseless imagination and self-assertion
• C. Awareness of achievements, accepting rules, group formation and playing with same-gender friends
• D. Heightened emotionality, infatuation and abstract reasoning

Q12. Consider the case of identical twins Raju and Nikhil who lost their mother at age 2. Raju was raised by his grandmother in a Tamil Nadu village; Nikhil grew up with his father. Years later they were similar physically but very different in language, social behaviour and cognition. What does this case BEST prove?

• A. Development is the sole product of heredity.
• B. Development is the sole product of nurture.
• C. Development is the product of interaction between nature and nurture.
• D. Twins always develop in identical ways regardless of environment.

Q13. Aparajita and Madhvi are classmates. Aparajita is brighter but disinterested; Madhvi has average ability but works hard and improves dramatically in the second test. Madhvi's improvement is the BEST example of which view of development?

• A. The activity view — the individual actively chooses her own pathway of development.
• B. The passivity view — the individual simply accepts whatever change comes naturally.
• C. The discontinuity view — change is abrupt and stage-specific.
• D. The universality view — development is the same in all cultures.

Q14. Havighurst, points out that the developmental tasks of any given stage are sequential, and that

• A. all developmental tasks are equally universal across cultures
• B. developmental tasks have nothing to do with culture
• C. tasks with a strong cultural component are more universal than biological tasks
• D. biologically determined tasks are more likely to be culturally universal than tasks with a strong cultural component

Q15. Three aspects of a teacher's behaviour shape students' development. A primary teacher in Bihar tells herself, 'I am not just an instructor; I am a shaper of children's behaviour.' This belief mainly affects which of the three aspects?

• A. Teacher's beliefs about the nature and role of ability
• B. Instructional practices only
• C. Teacher–student relationship only
• D. Parental involvement