Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:
Ritika belongs to a family where all the family members have different types of personality. Ritika is an athlete who has a strong build and is muscular. She is courageous and energetic. These characteristics make her an asset to her team. She is very popular among the team-members. On the other hand, her sister Heena is thin and fragile and is an introvert. She is brainy and enjoys painting. Their mother is an extravert, soft and round and is famous among family and friends for her humour and outgoing nature. In contrast, their father is a workaholic, highly motivated and is always short of time. Truly, one seldom sees such a variety under one roof.
Which personality type best describes Ritika and Heena's mother?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Endomorphic
Option (1) Ectomorphic — Incorrect. Ectomorphs are thin, long and fragile, brainy, artistic and introvert. The girls’ mother is described quite differently; this fits Heena.
Option (2) Mesomorphic — Incorrect. Mesomorphs have strong musculature and are energetic and courageous. This fits Ritika the athlete; her mother is soft and round.
Option (3) Paranoid — Incorrect. Paranoid is not a body-build type at all. The word describes a person who is excessively suspicious and distrustful of others and believes, without good reason, that others mean harm. The mother is outgoing and famous for her humour, the opposite of suspicious.
Option (4) Endomorphic — Correct. Endomorphs are fat, soft and round, and by temperament relaxed and sociable. Ritika and Heena’s mother is soft and round, an extravert with an outgoing nature who is famous for her humour, which matches this type.
Note: The term in Option (3), ‘paranoid’, is not given as a personality type in the 2023-24 NCERT, which NTA followed in 2025, nor in NCERT (2025-26); it is explained here for the benefit of the students.
NCERT (2025-26): “Type Approaches … Within psychology, the personality types given by Sheldon are fairly well-known. Using body build and temperament as the main basis, Sheldon proposed the Endomorphic, Mesomorphic, and Ectomorphic typology. The endomorphs are fat, soft and round. By temperament they are relaxed and sociable. The mesomorphs have strong musculature, are rectangular with a strong body build. They are energetic and courageous. The ectomorphs are thin, long and fragile in body build. They are brainy, artistic and introvert.…” |