Thinking Styles MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Thinking Styles - Download Free PDF

Divergent thinking refers to the ability to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. In education, particularly in Social Science and Environmental Studies, it involves open-ended questions that encourage students to imagine, hypothesize, and innovate beyond fixed facts. These questions do not have one correct answer but promote flexibility, imagination, and personal interpretation.

Key Points

•  Imagining and describing a world powered only by renewable energy invites students to think broadly and creatively. It pushes them to envision future possibilities, consider social and environmental impacts, and propose how life, technology, and industries might change.
• This type of task aligns directly with divergent thinking because it encourages generating multiple ideas, questioning current practices, and speculating about alternative realities.
• It also allows students to integrate prior knowledge while creatively constructing new ideas, fostering higher-order thinking and imaginative problem-solving.

Hint

•  Explaining the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources is a convergent task that checks factual understanding and comparison, but it does not invite creative exploration.
• Creating a poster about renewable energy sources may involve creativity in presentation, but the content remains primarily fact-based and structured, limiting the scope of divergent thinking.
• Asking why fossil fuels are considered non-renewable tests comprehension of a specific concept rather than exploring multiple outcomes or possibilities.

Hence, the correct answer is Imagine and describe what the world would be like if renewable energy sources were the only source of power.

The thinking level of a different individual is different based on individual differences. This can be of different types. Let us understand different thinking styles in children:

Hence, we conclude that the above statement is of divergent thinking.

Analytical thinking involves the ability to break down complex information into smaller, more manageable parts and understand how these parts relate to each other. Key Points

• In an educational setting, questions that encourage analysis, evaluation, and synthesis help students develop higher-order thinking skills. These types of questions go beyond simple recall of facts and ask students to think critically and reflect deeply on the material.
• The question "Which factors contributed to the outbreak of World War II?" promotes analytical thinking because it encourages students to consider multiple causes or factors that led to the war.
• This type of question asks for an exploration of the underlying reasons and connections between various events or influences, pushing students to analyze complex historical contexts and make connections between different elements.

Hint

• "In which year did World War II end?" is a factual recall question that simply asks for a specific piece of information (the year), without requiring any analysis or deeper thinking.
• "Which countries were directly involved in World War II?" is also a factual recall question. It asks students to list information but does not require them to analyze relationships or causes.
• "Who was the leader of Germany during World War II?" is a factual recall question that asks for a specific individual’s name, without prompting any deeper analysis of the person's role or actions.

Hence, it is concluded that  Which factors contributed to the outbreak of World War II? is an example of a question that promotes analytical thinking.

Analytical skills involve the ability to break down complex information, compare, contrast, examine relationships, and evaluate evidence or reasoning. Questions that promote analytical thinking typically go beyond recalling facts and encourage students to explore "how" and "why" something works or happens.

Key Points

•  The question "How have mammals adapted to their environments?" prompts students to think critically and analyze the relationship between organisms and their surroundings.
• It requires them to examine specific examples of mammals, consider environmental pressures, and understand the concept of adaptation.
• This kind of question engages higher-order thinking and strengthens analytical skills by encouraging students to evaluate and interpret data or patterns in biological behavior.

Hint

• Asking for examples and non-examples from the textbook focuses on classification, which involves some understanding but does not demand deep analysis.
• Defining a mammal is a recall-based question that tests memory, not analysis.
• Explaining key characteristics of mammals involves understanding and summarization, not analytical reasoning.

Hence, the correct answer is How have mammals adapted to their environments?

Metacognition refers to the awareness and control of one’s own cognitive processes, including understanding how one thinks, learns, and approaches tasks. It involves reflection on and regulation of one's thinking, which helps improve learning outcomes.Key Points

• Fiza is demonstrating metacognitive skills by analyzing her own learning process.
• She recognizes that her interest in topic Z and focused attention on it contribute to her better understanding of the topic compared to topic X.
• This reflects her ability to monitor and evaluate her own learning strategies, which is a key aspect of metacognition.

Hint

• Memory – Memory refers to the process of storing and recalling information, not analyzing or reflecting on one's learning strategies.
• Cognition – Cognition refers to mental processes like thinking, knowing, and learning in general, but it does not specifically address the reflective analysis of one's own thinking.
• Cognitive conflict – Cognitive conflict occurs when there is a discrepancy between one's beliefs or understanding and new information. It is not related to analyzing one's thinking processes as in the case of metacognition.

Hence, the correct answer is 'Metacognition'.

Critical thinking is a process of using own intellectual thought process to create own ideas and present one's own perspective to society. A critical thinker uses logical reasoning and problem-solving techniques to come to a conclusion without assuming or expecting any information for granted.

Key Points

• Critical thinking can be developed in children by giving activities that involve brainstorming sessions by them, assigning them a problem-solving task, and observing how they perform in it.
• A task involving the analysis where children have to find out what people living around coastal areas usually eat and why is a perfect example that could help in developing the critical thinking of children.
• Through this example, the student will get the opportunity to not only identify the staple food of people living in coastal areas but will also help them to co-relate the nutrition value of the food with the climate of the coastal area which will enhance critical thinking.

Thus, it is concluded that Find out what people living around coastal areas usually eat and why? this question is an example of enhancing critical thinking in children.

Hint

• Name 10 states in India, write tables 2 to 10 and Memorize and recite the given poem: These questions will not be able to enhance critical thinking as they only challenge the memorization power of a child. They could give the answers just by recalling the facts.

Key Points

• Thinking tools are instruments that are designed to enhance different aspects of thinking in individuals for crucial cognitive development.
• It helps individuals to generate and use innovative ideas more systemically and effectively.
• A Thinking Tool is an instrument that can help us in using our minds systematically and effectively.
• With the use of thinking tools, the intended ideas will be arranged more systematically, clearly, and easy to be understood.

Important Points

The four main tools of thinking are :

1. Mind maps
2. CoRT
3. Concepts
4. Questioning

Concept: 

• They are general ideas that we use to identify and organize our experiences.
• Words are the vocabulary of language; Concepts are the vocabulary of thought. 

Structure of Concepts:

• Sign – word/symbol that names the concept.
• Reference – examples of the concept
• Properties – qualities that all examples of the concept share in common.

​​Cognitive Research Trust (CoRT)

• It is a tool to assess the implementation of higher-order thinking skills in the teaching-learning process.
• It is designed to enhance different aspects of thinking in students for crucial cognitive development.

Mind maps

• Mind maps are diagrams that visually organize information. It was developed by Tony Buzan.
• It makes both the left and right brain work and thinks.
• The information is organized on the mind map in order of the importance of concepts.
• Some of the applications of mind mapping are note-taking, brainstorming sessions, studying, etc.

Hence, we conclude that all the above points are thinking tools.

Thinking is a higher mental process.  It is the orderly development of mental and intellectual processes, like logical thinking, making sense of new ideas, solving problems, and the like, that takes place over a period of time.

The pattern of Thinking at different stages of development: 

Types of Thinking 

1. Directed thinking- It refers to controlled and purposeful thinking that mainly focuses on a particular goal, such as the solution to a problem, and guided by the requirements of that goal.
2. Reflective Thinking- This thinking is about going back into the past experiences and recollecting what you did or did not do in a given situation. 
3. Concrete thinking- It is the simplest form of thinking, carried out for the perception of a concrete object.
4. Logical thinking- It is the process in which a child uses reasoning to come to a closure. 

From the above, we can conclude that a five years old child will have a directed type of thinking. 

Thinking is a constructive process in the sense that it helps us to form a new representation of any object or event by transforming available information. It involves a number of mental activities, such as inferring, abstracting, reasoning, imagining, judging, problem-solving, and creative thinking.

Key Points Perceptual thinking is the simplest form of thinking. It is the interpretation of sensation according to one’s experience.

• A type of thinking in which one's interpret sensation with experience is known as Perceptual thinking.
•  It is also called concrete thinking as it is carried out on the perception of actual or concrete objects and events.
• It is to comprehend and apply factual knowledge.
• It is the simplest form of thinking and small children are benefitted from this type of thinking.
• It is characterized by a predominance of actual objects and events and the absence of concepts and generalizations.
• Most people develop concrete or perceptual thinking through childhood and into adulthood.
• The core of concrete thinking is logical and a tendency to view and interpret things.

Thus, it is concluded that a type of thinking in which one's interpret sensation with experience is Perceptual thinking.

Additional Information

Divergent Thinking: It is the ability of a student which create something new and present novel ideas. Divergent thinking students have the ability to use imagination and critical reasoning to create new and meaningful ideas. 

• Divergent thinking is also known as Creative thinking. 
• students have the ability to create or produce something fresh and out-of-the-box perspectives.

Key Points The Qualities  of Divergent thinking Students are as follows:

• Ability to synthesize and closure
• Anxious and highly flexible
• They are neat and have self-actualization ability
• They are not afraid of abstract objects and thoughts
• Always thinks of varied solutions for any problem given in the class.
• Creative Thinker
• Quick learner and problem solver.​

​Hence, it becomes clear that Reena is displaying the characteristics of a Divergent Thinker.

Important Points

• Convergent Thinking: It refers to thinking that is required to solve problems that have only one correct answer. The mind converges to the correct solution. It is based on a number series, where you have to find the next number. Only one right answer is expected.
• Low Comprehension: Comprehension is defined as the ability to grasp the meaning of the material. This may be shown by translating material from one form to another word to numbers, by interpreting material explaining or summarizing, and by estimating future trends predicting consequences or effects.
• Mental Impairment: Mental Impairment is a condition that slows down mental and physical growth. It is not an illness or a disease, but a condition due to inadequate development of the brain. Children who have this condition are called ‘mentally Impaired’.

Thinking is the base of all cognitive activities or processes and is unique to human beings. It involves the manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment.

• There are different kinds of thinking styles which include creative, logical, concrete thinking, etc. 

Key Points

• Creative thinking aims at novelty in the first instance rather than truth. It is always 'constructive'. It necessarily has to be different from the conventional modes of thinking.
• Creative thinking is labeled in psychology as divergent thinking which refers to a way of solving problems by more than one approach.
• Creativity requires originality as it is a cognitive ability to produce something original by offering a fresh perspective. It is the ability to understand, express, and appreciate the human mind as a fundamental product.
• Creative children are those who show flexibility in thinking and high-performance capability in several areas such as artistic and creative work, leadership quality, keen power of observation, etc.
• Tolerance of ambiguity may allow the person to deal with the ill-defined nature of problems that have creative potential. It may also allow them to tolerate the range of options that should be considered.

Hint 

• Convergent Thinking refers to thinking where thinking converges towards one right answer instead of exploring the extra information. It hinders creativity as it doesn't let the learners think in a divergent way.

Hence, it could be concluded that creative thinking is not facilitated by Convergent thinking.

Education is the process of human development.

Key Points

• Thinking is the mental process of manipulating information to draw a conclusion or to generate ideas.
• Intellectual or mental development is possible by improving the power of thinking. For improving the thinking process, the teacher should try to understand his students and the devices for better thinking.
• Teaching and instructions are planned and organized for improving the power of thinking.

Important Points 

The following are the devices or techniques used for improving the power of thinking. 

1. Mind mapping
2. Picture reading
3. Models of teaching
4. Open-ended questions
5. Curriculum development
6. Evaluation and diagnosis
7. Problem-solving activities
8. Remedial teaching and instruction

Hence, we conclude that all the above points can be used for improving the power of thinking.

Six Thinking Hats: The premise of the method is that the human brain thinks in a number of distinct ways which can be deliberately challenged, and hence planned for use in a structured way allowing one to develop tactics for thinking about particular issues. Edward De Bono identifies six distinct directions in which the brain can be challenged. In each of these directions, the brain will identify and bring into conscious thought certain aspects of issues being considered. Six distinct directions are assigned a colour:

• White: focuses on Data and information
• Red: focuses on feelings, intuition, emotion
• Yellow: focuses on Optimism, benefits
• Black: focuses on Caution, Critical judgment
• Green: focuses on Creative thinking
• Blue: focuses on Process control, thinking about thinking (metacognition)

Hence, we conclude that Yellow focuses on Optimism, Benefits.

Thinking is the base of all cognitive activities or processes and is unique to human beings. It involves the manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment. 

Key Points

J.P. Guilford, a pioneer in creativity research, proposed two types of thinking: convergent and divergent. 

• Convergent Thinking: It refers to close-ended thinking that is required to solve problems that have only one correct answer. The mind converges to the correct solution. It is based on a number series, where you have to find the next number. Only one right answer is expected.
• Divergent Thinking: It is open-ended thinking where the individual can think of different answers to the questions or problems in terms of her/his experiences. Such kind of thinking helps in producing novel and original ideas. Divergent thinking abilities generally include fluency. The practice of a good mix of creative expressions with other approaches encourages children to have divergent thinking. 

Hence, it concludes that a teacher who practices a good mix of creative expressions with other approaches, encourages children to have divergent thinking.

Thinking is a constructive process in the sense that it helps us to form a new representation of any object or event by transforming available information. It involves a number of mental activities, such as inferring, abstracting, reasoning, imagining, judging, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Such activities take place in our minds and can be inferred from our behaviors.

Abstract thinking is the ability to think about objects, principles, and ideas that are not physically related to two symbolic thinking which uses the substitution of a symbol for an object. For example, he searches for explanations,  searches for alternative perspectives, etc.

Key Points The adolescent develops a skill for abstract thinking, learns how to reflect on relationship issues, distinguishes new ways of processing information, and secures to think creatively and critically.

Characteristics of the age of adolescence:

• Capacity to combine several factors and find a solution to a problem.
• Ability to see what effect one factor will have on another factor.
• The hypo-deductive approach comes at this age so children can think more logically and abstractly.
• Ability to combine and separate factors in a probabilistic manner.
• At this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems.
• Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information.
• Hence, by all these references we can conclude that Mathematical question involving algebraic experience and concerned with hypothetical situations is based on the idea of abstract thinking at the age of adolescence.

Hint

• Manipulative materials are any concrete objects that allow students to explore an idea in an active, hands-on approach. Manipulatives can be almost anything – blocks, shapes, spinners, or even paper that is cut or folded.
• Seriation is arranging objects in order by size, location, or position. 
• Classification: the grouping of items on the basis of their perceptual characteristics.