Ms. Kulkarni, a school counsellor in Pune, is selecting students for a special programme. She gives one test in which students examine an incomplete pattern of figures and choose the figure that completes it. For Meera, who has just moved from abroad and speaks little Hindi or English, she uses a test in which the child arranges wooden blocks within a time limit to produce a given design. She also collects teachers' judgment, school records and parents' interviews. Aarav likes to work alone on one science problem for hours. Simran, a state-level sprinter, has average marks. The principal says only marks and test scores should decide who is gifted, but Ms. Kulkarni plans a life enrichment programme for the students selected.
Which of the following best supports Ms. Kulkarni's choice of the block-arrangement test for Meera?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Performance tests can be easily administered to persons from different cultures.
Option (1) Performance tests can be easily administered to persons from different cultures. — Correct. Meera has just come from abroad and speaks little Hindi or English. The block test is a performance test: she handles blocks and needs no written language, and such tests can be easily given to persons from different cultures.
Option (2) Group tests can be administered to several persons simultaneously. — Incorrect. This is true of group tests, but Meera takes the block test on her own. Testing many people at once does nothing for her language problem.
Option (3) Non-verbal tests use pictures or illustrations as test items. — Incorrect. Non-verbal tests use pictures, like the incomplete-pattern test given to the students. The block test asks Meera to handle objects, so it is a performance test.
Option (4) Individual tests allow people to answer orally or in a written form. — Incorrect. Answering orally or in writing calls for language, which Meera lacks. This feature works against her, so it cannot support the choice.
NCERT (2026-27): “Verbal, Non-Verbal, or Performance Tests … “Box 1.1 is asked to arrange the blocks within a time period to produce a given design. A major advantage of performance tests is that they can be easily administered to persons from different cultures.” |