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What Kind Of Thinker Are You ?

Find out if your mind ticks like Shakespeare, Einstein, Picasso, Mozart, Beckham, Mother Teresa, Gandhi or Darwin. Or as a combination of two or more

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on:

Multiple Intelligent Test

Are those who do well in academics the most intelligent too? For decades,the simple answer was 'yes'—and the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test served as areliable tool to quantify verbal and computational intelligence. But in 1983, HowardGardner proposed the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, arguing that "reason,intelligence, logic, knowledge are not synonymous".

Gardner defined intelligence as "the capacity to solve problems or to fashionproducts that are valued in one or more cultural settings" and formulated a list ofeight intelligences. This he did by expanding the concept of intelligence to include suchareas as music, spatial relations and interpersonal knowledge on top of mathematical andlinguistic ability.

The eight intelligences were: linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical,bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist.

Although the intelligences are anatomically separate from one another, Gardner said theyvery rarely operated independently. Rather, they are used concurrently and typicallycomplement each other. This is, at once, the strength and weakness of the MultipleIntelligence Test.

For example, a dancer could excel in his art only if he has 1) musical intelligence tounderstand the rhythm and variations of the music, 2) interpersonal intelligence tounderstand how he can inspire or emotionally move his audience through his movements, and3) bodily-kinesthetic intelligence to provide him with the agility and coordination tocomplete the movements.

In other words, all eight intelligences are needed for individuals to productivelyfunction in society. According to Gardner, everyone is born possessing all the eightintelligences, but particular intelligences might be better evolved in many people of oneculture because of the higher value placed upon the ability to perform certain tasks inthose cultures. And vice versa.

The Multiple Intelligence Test alongside will help you discover what kind of a thinker youare. It has 64 questions. Check your choices in 10 minutes and find out if your mind ticks like Shakespeare, Einstein, Picasso, Mozart, Beckham, Mother Teresa, Gandhi or Darwin. Oras a combination of two or more.

Linguistic

1
In school, did you prefer subjects like English, social studies?
2
Do you enjoy wordplay, making puns, coining limericks, etc?
3
Are you a good storyteller or story-writer?
4
Do you read everything you see—books, mags, papers?
5
In conversation, do you frequently allude to things you have read or heard?
6
Do people sometimes ask you to explain words you use?
7
Do you like solving crosswords, playing scrabble and other word games?
8
Can you hold your own in debates and arguments?

Logical-Mathematical

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1
Were maths and science your favourite subjects in school?
2
Do you love dealing with numbers and doing mental maths?
3
Do you do the household budget, handle cheque books?
4
Are you interested in keeping yourself abreast of new scientific and technological advances?
5
Do you draw up detailed timetables before a trip or vacation?
6
Do you often find logical flaws in what people say and do?
7
Do brain-teasers and other puzzles that require logical thinking get you excited?
8
Can you find specific examples to support a general point of view?

Visual-Spatial

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1
In school, did you prefer geometry to algebra?
2
Do you have an appreciation of the arts?
3
Do you find yourself doodling while sitting in a class, taking notes or thinking through something?
4
Do you often carry a camera or camcorder to record events?
5
Do you have problems in reading maps or locating a house?
6
Do you like to take things apart and put them back together?
7
Do you enjoy visual games such as jigsaw puzzles and mazes?
8
Do you often make your point with an illustration or diagram?

Musical

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1
Do you like to play a musical instrument?
2
Can you easily remember the tune of a song after hearing it just a couple of times?
3
Do you like listening to music at home or in your car?
4
Can you identify different musical instruments?
5
Do you find yourself tapping in time to music?
6
Do advertisement jingles often pop into your head?
7
Can you imagine life without music?
8
Do you often keep whistling or humming a tune you have heard?

Bodily-Kinesthetic

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1
In school, you enjoyed physical education and handicraft?
2
Do you like to go to the gym or play a physical sport?
3
Do you end up thinking about problems and situations even while you are walking or jogging?
4
Are you quite adept at do-it-yourself activities?
5
Do you like to get up and have a go at the dance floor?
6
Do you feel the need to physically handle something to fully understand it?
7
Do you like to try out the most thrilling rides at fun fairs, amusement parks?
8
Do you often use hand gestures and body language to express yourself?

Interpersonal

1
Do you prefer being at a party than watching TV alone?
2
Do you like being part of a group and working with others?
3
Do people seek you out for advice?
4
Does it please you in being a mentor to someone else?
5
Do you prefer team sports like cricket, hockey, football to individual sports like chess or swimming?
6
Do you have several very close friends?
7
Do you communicate well with people and volunteer to help resolve disputes?
8
Do you like to discuss your problems with others instead of solving them yourself?

Intrapersonal

1
Is your idea of a good vacation an isolated hilltop cottage rather than a five-star resort bustling with people?
2
Do you keep a diary to record your innermost thoughts?
3
Do you set goals for yourself before every month and year?
4
Do you often spend some 'quiet time' by yourself reflecting on the important issues in your life?
5
Are you an independent thinker? Do you know your own mind?
6
Do you have a hobby or interest which you don't share with anyone else?
7
Do you have a realistic idea of your own strengths and weaknesses?
8
Have you contemplated doing your own thing and being your own boss?

Naturalist

1
Do you keep or would you like to keep pets?
2
Do you keep yourself abreast of health issues?
3
Can you recognise the different types of plants, flowers?
4
When you are out on a picnic or excursion, can you read weather signs and spot tracks, pugmarks and nests?
5
Are you a keen gardener?
6
Do you have an interest in understanding the main global environment issues and consider conservation and sustainable growth as the big issues?
7
Can you imagine yourself as a farmer?
8
Are you keen to learn about developments in astronomy, origins of the universe?

What Your Scores Mean

If you  answered 'yes' to five or more of the eight questions in each bunch, you canconsider yourself as such a thinker. For example, if you answered 'yes' to six questions inthe naturalist set, you are more likely a naturalist thinker than not. However, if afriend answered 'yes' to eight of the questions, he is more of a naturalist thinker than youare. Likewise, if you answered 'yes' to six naturalist questions and 'yes' to all eightlogical-mathematical questions, you are more of a logical-mathematical thinker than anaturalist one. If you answered 'yes' to all eight questions in each bunch: ‘Hello,God!’

Linguistic thinkers: Have the ability to read, write and communicate thoughts and ideaswith words. Poets, writers, journalists, orators, comedians, salespeople are goodexamples. Like William Shakespeare, Vikram Seth.

Logical-mathematical thinkers: Good at thinking through situations systematically. Lookat the world in cause-and-effect terms. Scientists,  programmers, detectives are goodexamples. Like Albert Einstein, C.V. Raman.

Visual-spatial thinkers: Have a three-dimensional model of the world in their minds. Thinkin
pictures. Have a flair for working with objects. Architects, sculptors, builders areexamples. Like Pablo Picasso, M.F. Husain.

Musical thinkers: Think in sounds, rhythms. Can understand and appreciate music. Feel alink between music and emotion. Composers, singers, music teachers are examples. LikeMozart, A.R. Rahman, Bhimsen Joshi.

Bodily-kinesthetic: Use their body skilfully to express and solve problems, createproducts, present ideas. Surgeons, actors, dancers, coaches, craftspersons are examples.Like Brian Lara, David Beckham, Rudolph Nureyev.

Interpersonal thinkers: Have the ability to relate to, think about others and empathisewith them. Teachers, social workers, politicians, religious leaders are examples. LikeMother Teresa, Amartya Sen.

Intrapersonal thinkers: Tend to self-analyse their behaviour, inner-most feelings. Setgoals and make plans for the future. Pilots, psychologists, explorers, philosophers areexamples. Like Mahatma Gandhi, Sigmund Freud.

Naturalist thinkers: Understand the natural world, can recognise flora and fauna, have anaptitude for communicating with animals. Farmers, conservationists, biologists, areexamples. Like Charles Darwin, Salim Ali.

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