OF THE INTELLIGENCE OF YOUNG CHILDREN 49 



At seven and eight years the majority of the questions 

 in this second series are never answered correctly ; at ten 

 years scarcely half of the children succeed. This test is then 

 for the transition period between ten and eleven years. 



In a general way this is the best test of intelligence, as 

 commonly understood, in the whole series. Sometimes, after 

 an examination one hesitates on a diagnosis. The child has 

 failed in one or two tests, but this does not seem convincing. 

 Failure to give the day and date and the months of the year 

 are excusable errors, which may be caused by distraction or 

 by lack of education. But the questions for comprehension 

 dissipate all doubts. We recall several instances when teach- 

 ers brought us children, desiring to know whether or not they 

 were abnormal. Occasionally, in this way they set a trap for 

 us, but we did not object; it was fair play. Our questions 

 for comprehension decided us every time. We remember 

 one child who was very slow in answering, as though dull ; 

 his face was expressionless and unprepossessing; he knew 

 neither the day nor date, nor what day comes after Sunday, 

 and he was W/i years old; his reading was still syllabic. But 

 when we asked question 5: Why do we judge a person by 

 his acts rather than by his words? he gave the following 

 answer: Because words are not very sure and acts are more 

 sure. This was enough — our opinion was formed ; that child 

 was not so dull as he seemed. 



V. Uses three given words in two sentences. — This is 

 the first time that we have asked for an invention. This one 

 is verbal. It presupposes that the child talks, writes, and 

 understands the meaning of the expression "a sentence." 

 Three words are written on a piece of paper — Paris, Fortune, 

 Stream. They are read to the child several times, then he is 

 told: "You make a sentence and use in it these three words." 

 He is then given a pencil. Some declare that they do not 

 understand ; often it is the expression "make a sentence" which 

 confuses them. No other explanation should be given them, but 

 the first instruction may be repeated. Others understand, but 



