Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Somika is a wonderful dancer. Everyone appreciates her flexible body movements. She moves her body so gracefully that every dance step depicts a meaning. She is very good at making friends. She takes care of others' feelings and at the same time she knows her interest. She makes decisions that help her in organising and prioritizing things. However she avoids attending Maths and Science classes because she gets scolding for not completing her work, not understanding the concept and scoring less marks.
Identify which of these is a type of intelligence, described by Howard Gardner in his theory of multiple intelligence.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Linguistic Intelligence
Option (1) Experiential Intelligence — Incorrect. Experiential or creative intelligence is one of the three kinds of intelligence in Sternberg’s triarchic theory. It is the use of past experiences creatively to solve novel problems, and it shows in creative performance. It does not belong to Gardner’s list.
Option (2) Emotional Intelligence — Incorrect. Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that underlie accurate appraisal, expression and regulation of emotions, the feeling side of intelligence. It is a separate concept, not one of Gardner’s eight intelligences.
Option (3) Verbal comprehension — Incorrect. Verbal comprehension, the grasping of the meaning of words, concepts and ideas, is the first of the seven primary mental abilities of Louis Thurstone. It comes from Thurstone’s theory, not Gardner’s.
Option (4) Linguistic Intelligence — Correct. Gardner studied extremely talented persons and described eight types of intelligence, and linguistic intelligence is the first of them: the capacity to use language fluently and flexibly to express one’s thinking and understand others. Poets and writers are very strong in it.
NCERT (2025-26): “Theory of Multiple Intelligences … Howard Gardner proposed the theory of multiple intelligences. According to him, intelligence is not a single entity; rather distinct types of intelligences exist. Each of these intelligences are independent of each other. This means that, if a person exhibits one type of intelligence, it does not necessarily indicate being high or low on other types of intelligences. Gardner also put forth that different types of intelligences interact and work together to find a solution to a problem. Gardner studied extremely talented persons, who had shown exceptional abilities in their respective areas, and described eight types of intelligence. These are as follows: Linguistic (an ability to produce and use language) : It is the capacity to use language fluently and flexibly to express one’s thinking and understand others. Persons high on this intelligence are ‘word-smart’, i.e. they are sensitive to different shades of word meanings, are articulate, and can create linguistic images in their mind. Poets and writers are very strong in this component of intelligence.…” “Theories of Intelligence … Spearman’s theory was followed by Louis Thurstone’s theory. He proposed the theory of primary mental abilities. It states that intelligence consists of seven primary abilities, each of which is relatively independent of the others. These primary abilities are: (i) Verbal Comprehension (grasping meaning of words, concepts, and ideas), (ii) Numerical Abilities (speed and accuracy in numerical and computational skills), (iii) Spatial Relations (visualising patterns and forms), (iv) Perceptual Speed (speed in perceiving details), (v) Word Fluency (using words fluently and flexibly), (vi) Memory (accuracy in recalling information), and (vii) Inductive Reasoning (deriving general rules from presented facts).…” “Triarchic Theory of Intelligence … Experiential Intelligence: Experiential or creative intelligence is involved in using past experiences creatively to solve novel problems. It is reflected in creative performance.…” “Emotional Intelligence … Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that underlie accurate appraisal, expression, and regulation of emotions. It is the feeling side of intelligence.…” |