Developing Creativity in Children — Hard

Q1. Consider the following two statements: I. Divergent thinking is the primary identifying feature of creativity. II. Convergent thinking, which arrives at a single right answer, is the cognitive signature of creativity. Which of the above is/are correct?

• A. Only I
• B. Only II
• C. Both I and II
• D. Neither I nor II

Q2. Ruhi, a Class 4 student in Rampur, consistently produces multiple solutions to every problem the teacher poses, and many of her solutions are uncommon. Which characterisation BEST fits Ruhi and which 4 P-approach BEST captures the abilities she displays?

• A. Convergent thinker; creative product approach
• B. Creative thinker; creative process approach centred on fluency and flexibility
• C. Rigid thinker; creative person approach
• D. Egocentric thinker; creative situational approach

Q3. Assertion (A): Above an IQ of 120, the correlation between intelligence and creativity becomes zero. Reason (R): Children with very high IQ are completely incapable of any creative output. Choose the BEST option

• 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

Q4. A Class 5 teacher shows children a fountain pen and asks them to write down ALL possible uses of it other than writing — paperweight, stick to clean ear-wax, water-tap for a doll's house, and so on. This question BEST fits which category of creativity-fostering questions, AND which Passi sub-test does it most resemble?

• A. Hypothetical question; Consequences sub-test
• B. Redefining question; Unusual Uses sub-test
• C. Consequences question; Seeing Problems sub-test
• D. Provocative question; Inquisitiveness sub-test

Q5. A primary teacher in Rampur asks her Class 5 children: 'Why should we respect our parents? Give your own reasons.' Which of the following is NOT a correct description of this question?

• A. It is a question challenging fixed assumptions and helps creative thinking
• B. It encourages children to give multiple, personal reasons and not a rote answer
• C. It is a closed convergent question with one right answer dictated by the teacher
• D. It can develop fluency and originality if the teacher accepts varied responses

Q6. During a brainstorming session in a Class 5 classroom on 'how to reduce plastic waste', a child suggests: 'We should train monkeys to pick up plastic.' Which TWO of Osborn's four ideation principles, BEST justify accepting this idea? I. Free wheeling — any idea, even unusual, is welcome II. Criticism is avoided, including self-criticism III. Quality breeds quality IV. Hitchhiking on others' ideas

• A. I and II only
• B. II and III only
• C. I and IV only
• D. III and IV only

Q7. A teacher gives her students an ordinary calendar and asks them first to list its features — size, shape, colour, language of months, use — and then to change each feature one by one and design a new calendar. The technique used is

• A. Brainstorming
• B. Synectics
• C. Attribute listing and changing
• D. Hitchhiking

Q8. Three Class 4 children list uses of a brick. Aman gives 25 uses, all about building walls. Priya gives 12 uses across building, art, paperweight, exercise and breaking ice. Ravi gives only 3 uses but one of them is 'grind it into powder and use it as a natural dye'. Among the six abilities, who has demonstrated the HIGHEST originality?

• A. Aman — because of the largest number of responses
• B. Priya — because of the variety of categories
• C. Ravi — because of the clever and uncommon nature of the response
• D. All three equally

Q9. A Class 3 child in Rampur keeps trying to fold a paper boat that floats. Even after eleven failed attempts, she keeps modifying the folds till the boat finally floats. As per the Passi creativity sub-tests, this child has shown most clearly

• A. Sensitivity to problems
• B. Inquisitiveness
• C. Persistency
• D. Elaboration

Q10. Consider the five steps of creative thinking as illustrated by Archimedes: I. He read books and gathered prior knowledge. II. He focused his attention on the king's problem of pure gold. III. He went to bathe and his mind unconsciously continued working. IV. The water spilled and 'Eureka!' came as a sudden flash. V. He returned to the laboratory and developed Archimedes' Principle. Which is the CORRECT order of these as 'preparation → concentrated attention → withdrawal/incubation → flash → verification'?

• A. I → II → III → IV → V
• B. II → I → III → IV → V
• C. I → III → II → IV → V
• D. I → II → IV → III → V

Q11. A teacher who wishes to encourage creative learners in her classroom should do all of the following EXCEPT

• A. Respect the unusual questions and ideas raised by children
• B. Show children that their ideas have value
• C. Provide opportunities and credit for self-initiated learning
• D. Demand strict silence and a single textbook answer to every question

Q12. In the Passi 'Seeing Problems' sub-test, children are shown common objects like a postcard, a chappal and a bucket and asked: 'What problems can arise while using them?' This sub-test PRIMARILY measures the creative ability of

• A. Sensitivity to problems
• B. Fluency of unusual uses
• C. Elaboration of detail
• D. Persistency in trying

Q13. The 'creative situational approach (press)' lists several childhood and family factors that research has linked to higher adult creativity. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

• A. An unhappy and a stormy childhood
• B. Frequent moving from place to place or culture to culture
• C. Parents who held shifting jobs and homes
• D. A childhood with rigid uniformity and a single fixed environment

Q14. Originality is 'time-specific'. It illustrates this by saying that fifty years ago, a radio or a tape recorder was a creative product, while today they are not. The MOST defensible classroom implication for a Class 5 teacher in Rampur is

• A. A student's idea is creative only if no adult has ever had it before
• B. A response can be judged creative relative to the child's age, time and the surrounding culture
• C. Creativity disappears completely as inventions become old
• D. Only inventions of the last year can ever be called creative

Q15. Under the 'creative person approach', certain personality traits are commonly found in creative people. The intervention needed for creative and talented children in the classroom rests on

• A. Use of customised and stimulating instructional methods by the teacher
• B. Giving them extra time and being affectionate towards them
• C. Asking them to teach other children to keep them busy
• D. Making them sit quietly and copy from the textbook