Read the text carefully and answer the questions:
Meenakshi is ten years old. The psychologist assessed her intellect and her mental age was found to be twelve years. Based on the normal curve, she is considered to be on the extreme side of the curve.
IQ scores are distributed in the population in such a way that the scores of most people tend to fall in the middle range of the distribution. The frequency distribution for the IQ scores tends to approximate a bell shaped curve.
Meenakshi is also extraverted and enjoys being with people. She has the ability to understand the motives, feelings and behaviours of other people. She also believes strongly in non violence and her entire life is guided by this value. Her friends call her Gandhian due to these traits. Further, they believe that she has developed these traits because of the culture in which she grew up.
Based on normal curve, Meenakshi falls in the category range of __________ intelligent.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Superior
IQ is mental age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100.
Given: mental age (MA) = 12 years, chronological age (CA) = 10 years
IQ = (MA ÷ CA) × 100 = (12 ÷ 10) × 100 = 120
In the classification of people on the basis of IQ, the range 120-130 is called superior; only about 6.7 per cent of the population falls in it, towards the high end of the normal curve.
Option (1) Average — Incorrect. Average is the IQ range 90-109, the middle of the curve where half the population lies. Meenakshi’s IQ of 120 is well above it.
Option (2) Borderline — Incorrect. Borderline is the range 70-79, just above intellectual disability, at the low end of the curve. Her mental age is higher than her age, so her IQ is above 100, not below it.
Option (4) Prodigical — Incorrect. There is no such category. The category above superior is very superior, for an IQ above 130.
NCERT: Psychology — Chapter 1: Variations in Psychological Attributes, Table 1.1 (2025-26)
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