A school counsellor in Lucknow assessed the students of Class 5. She first gave an intelligence test to the whole class together, and the children marked written answers in a multiple-choice format. Arjun, aged 10 years, showed a mental age of 13. Meena, also aged 10, obtained an IQ of 85. Kabir, aged 9, had shown a long attention span and early language skills since infancy. He now solves puzzles quickly and keeps asking searching questions. A week later, the counsellor tested Kabir again. This time he answered her questions orally and arranged blocks as she instructed.
About what per cent of the population falls in the same IQ range as Meena?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → 16.1 per cent
Option (1) 16.1 per cent — Correct. Meena's IQ of 85 lies in the 80-89 range, labelled low average. About 16.1 per cent of the population falls in this range.
Option (2) 6.7 per cent — Incorrect. 6.7 per cent is the share of the borderline range (70-79) and of the superior range (120-130). Meena's 85 is above 79, so she is not borderline.
Option (3) 2.2 per cent — Incorrect. 2.2 per cent is the share at each extreme: IQ above 130 and IQ below 70. Meena's 85 is far from both ends.
Option (4) 50.0 per cent — Incorrect. 50 per cent is the share of the average range, 90-109. Meena's 85 is below 90, so she falls just under this band.
NCERT (2026-27): “Assessment of Intelligence … “Table 1.1 : Classification of People on the Basis of IQ IQ Range Descriptive Label Per cent in the Population” “Above 130 Very superior 2.2 120 – 130 Superior 6.7 110 – 119 High average 16.1 90 – 109 Average 50.0 80 – 89 Low average 16.1 70 – 79 Borderline 6.7 Below 70 Intellectually disabled 2.2” |