APPSC Paper I · Probation Officer Paper II: Psychology · Topic 9

9 APPSC Paper I Cognition and Language questions with answers

16 questions from APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology question paper with answers and APPSC DPO Psychology Mock 1 with answers. Try each one, then tap Show answer.

Previous-paper questions are as in the original paper. Medha AI wrote the answers and explanations.

9.1Concepts, thinking, reasoning and languageNotes

  1. Q1 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q76

    Concerning concepts, which of the following statements is false?

    1. AConcepts are units of representation of knowledge
    2. BAbstract concepts assume a verbal and a descriptive code
    3. CConcepts, once formed, get organised into categories
    4. DThe most essential unit of representation of knowledge in short-term memory is a concept
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    Answer D. The most essential unit of representation of knowledge in short-term memory is a concept

    Concepts are units of knowledge representation in long-term memory, not short-term memory, so statement 4 is false. The other three statements are true.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q79, final key

  2. Q2 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q77

    Who argued that children form an internal representation of the world through thinking?

    1. ALev Vygotsky
    2. BJean Piaget
    3. CMary Ainsworth
    4. DNoam Chomsky
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    Answer B. Jean Piaget

    Jean Piaget argued that children actively build internal mental representations (schemas) of the world through thinking.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q80, final key

  3. Q3 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q78

    Which of the following statements is incorrect?

    1. AThinking is inferred through overt behaviour
    2. BThinking relies on knowledge already possessed
    3. CThink usually occurs by means of mental images or words
    4. DConcepts used in thinking are clear and unambiguous
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    Answer D. Concepts used in thinking are clear and unambiguous

    Concepts used in thinking are often fuzzy, with unclear boundaries, so the claim that they are always clear and unambiguous is incorrect.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q81, final key

  4. Q4 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q79

    Who proposed that children are born with universal grammar?

    1. AJean Piaget
    2. BJohn Bowlby
    3. CMary Ainsworth
    4. DNoam Chomsky
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    Answer D. Noam Chomsky

    Noam Chomsky proposed that children are born with a universal grammar and a language acquisition device.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q82, final key

  5. Q5 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q80

    Which of the following shows the correct order of stages in a child's language development?

    1. ABabbling → Cooing → One-word stage → Telegraphic speech
    2. BCooing → One-word stage → Babbling → Telegraphic speech
    3. CBabbling → One-word stage → Cooing → Telegraphic speech
    4. DCooing → Babbling → One-word stage → Telegraphic speech
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer D. Cooing → Babbling → One-word stage → Telegraphic speech

    Infants coo (about 2 months), then babble (about 6 months), then use single words (about 1 year), then two-word telegraphic speech (about 2 years).

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

  6. Q6 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q82

    Which of the following statements about reasoning is incorrect?

    1. ADeductive reasoning moves from general premises to a specific conclusion
    2. BInductive reasoning guarantees that its conclusion is true
    3. CIf a valid deductive argument has true premises, its conclusion must be true
    4. DScientists often use inductive reasoning to form general laws from observations
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    Answer B. Inductive reasoning guarantees that its conclusion is true

    Inductive conclusions are only probable: a new observation can always overturn a generalisation drawn from past cases.

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

  7. Q7 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q84

    Who proposed that the language a person speaks shapes the way that person perceives and thinks about the world?

    1. ANoam Chomsky
    2. BLev Vygotsky
    3. CBenjamin Lee Whorf
    4. DB. F. Skinner
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    Answer C. Benjamin Lee Whorf

    Whorf (with his teacher Edward Sapir) gave the linguistic relativity hypothesis: language influences, and in its strong form determines, thought.

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

  8. Q8 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q86

    Speech such as "Daddy go car", which keeps the main content words but leaves out articles and prepositions, is called:

    1. ABabbling
    2. BHolophrastic speech
    3. CTelegraphic speech
    4. DEcholalia
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    Answer C. Telegraphic speech

    Around two years children combine two or more words in short, telegram-like sentences that drop function words.

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

9.1Problem solving, decision making and creativityNotes

  1. Q9 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q80

    Which among the following methods of problem solving always results in correct solution?

    1. AAlgorithm
    2. BHeuristics
    3. CMental Set
    4. DFunctional fixedness
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    Answer A. Algorithm

    An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that always gives the correct solution if followed, though it may be slow; heuristics are shortcuts that may fail.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q83, final key

  2. Q10 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q81

    Which of the following statements is incorrect?

    1. ALack of motivation is an obstacle to problem-solving
    2. BProblem solving is goal-directed thinking
    3. CProblem solving is unique to human beings
    4. DMental set can enhance the quality and speed of problem-solving
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    Answer C. Problem solving is unique to human beings

    Animals also solve problems (for example Kohler's chimpanzees), so problem solving is not unique to humans. A mental set can speed up familiar problems, so the key treats statement 4 as acceptable.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q84, final key

  3. Q11 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q82

    The creative thinking can be reflected through which of the following?

    1. Teaching

    2. Conversation

    3. Helping others

    4. Asking questions

    1. A1 & 3
    2. B2 & 4
    3. C2, 3 & 4
    4. D1, 2, 3 & 4
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer D. 1, 2, 3 & 4

    Creative thinking can show in any everyday activity: teaching, conversation, helping others and asking questions.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q85, final key

  4. Q12 DPO 2023 Psychology, Q83

    Which of the following is not the characteristic of creative thinking?

    1. AElaboration
    2. BNovelty
    3. COriginality
    4. DReproducibility
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    Answer D. Reproducibility

    Creative thinking is marked by novelty, originality, flexibility, fluency and elaboration; reproducing what already exists is the opposite of creativity.

    Source: APPSC DPO 2023 Psychology (Notification 11/2022), Q86, final key

  5. Q13 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q81

    Consider the following statements about algorithms.

    1. If followed correctly, an algorithm guarantees a solution when one exists.

    2. An algorithm can be very slow when there are many possibilities to check.

    3. A heuristic is always both faster and more accurate than an algorithm.

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3
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    Answer B. 1 and 2 only

    An algorithm checks systematically and guarantees a solution, but can take a long time; a heuristic is usually faster but may give a wrong answer, so statement 3 is false.

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

  6. Q14 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q83

    Match the following items given in List-I with the items given in List-II.

    List – I (Psychologist)List – II (Contribution)
    a. Graham Wallas1. Insight learning in chimpanzees
    b. J. P. Guilford2. Tests of creative thinking
    c. E. Paul Torrance3. Divergent and convergent production
    d. Wolfgang Köhler4. Four stages of the creative process
    1. Aa-3, b-4, c-2, d-1
    2. Ba-4, b-3, c-1, d-2
    3. Ca-4, b-2, c-3, d-1
    4. Da-4, b-3, c-2, d-1
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    Answer D. a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1

    Wallas – four stages; Guilford – divergent and convergent production (structure of intellect); Torrance – Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking; Köhler – insight in chimpanzees.

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

  7. Q15 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q85

    Thinking that produces many different answers to an open-ended problem, such as listing unusual uses of a newspaper, is called

    1. AConvergent thinking
    2. BDivergent thinking
    3. CCritical thinking
    4. DReproductive thinking
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    Answer B. Divergent thinking

    J. P. Guilford distinguished divergent thinking (many varied answers, linked with creativity) from convergent thinking (one correct answer).

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

  8. Q16 DPO Psychology Mock 1, Q87

    Herbert Simon's term for choosing the first option that is 'good enough' instead of searching for the best possible one is

    1. AOptimising
    2. BAnchoring
    3. CSatisficing
    4. DFraming
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    Answer C. Satisficing

    Under bounded rationality (limited time, information and capacity), Simon argued people satisfice: they accept the first option that meets their minimum criteria.

    Source: Medha AI, based on the APPSC District Probation Officer Paper II (Psychology) syllabus (12/2026)

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