Exercise 3.2: Multiple Intelligences Self-Assessment
NAME: ____Elizabeth Wangui Marubu ID NO. ___668342
Challenge: Are people smart in different ways? How so?
Reaction: On each line, put checkmarks next to all the statements that best describe you.
Linguistic Intelligence: The capacity to use language to express what’s on your mind and
understand others (“word smart”)
_✓_____ I’m a good storyteller.
___✓____ I enjoy word games, puns, and tongue twisters.
_______ I’d rather listen to the radio than watch TV.
_______ I’ve recently written something I’m proud of.
_______ I can hear words in my head before I say or write them.
_✓______ When riding in the car, I sometimes pay more attention to words on billboards
than I do to the scenery.
__✓_____ In high school, I did better in English, history, or social studies than I did in math
and science.
___✓____ I enjoy reading.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: The capacity to understand cause/effect relationships and
to manipulate numbers (“number/reasoning smart”)
_______ I can easily do math in my head.
_______ I enjoy brainteasers or puzzles.
_______ I like it when things can be counted or analyzed.
_______ I can easily find logical flaws in what others do or say.
__✓_____ I think most things have rational explanations.
_______ Math and science were my favorite subjects in high school.
____✓___ I like to put things into categories.
____✓___ I’m interested in new scientific advances
Spatial Intelligence: The capacity to represent the world visually or graphically (“picture
smart”)
__✓_____ I like to take pictures of what I see around me.
__✓_____ I’m sensitive to colors.
__✓_____ My dreams at night are vivid.
_______ I like to doodle or draw.
_______ I’m good at navigating with a map.
___✓____ I can picture what something will look like before it’s finished.
__✓_____ In school, I preferred geometry to algebra.
_______ I often make my point by drawing a picture or diagram.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: The capacity to use your whole body or parts of it to solve a
problem, make something, or put on a production (“body smart”)
__✓_____ I regularly engage in sports or physical activities.
_______ I get fidgety when asked to sit for long periods of time.
___✓____ I get some of my best ideas while I’m engaged in a physical activity.
___✓____ I need to practice a skill in order to learn it, rather than just reading or watching a
video about it.
__✓_____ I enjoy being a daredevil. I’m a well-coordinated person.
__✓_____ I like to think through things while I’m doing something else like running or
walking.
__✓_____ I like to spend my free time outdoors
Musical Intelligence: The capacity to think in music, hear patterns and recognize, remember,
and perhaps manipulate them (“music smart”)
_______ I can tell when a musical note is flat or sharp.
_______ I play a musical instrument.
_______ I often hear music playing in my head.
__✓_____ I can listen to a piece of music once or twice, and then sing it back accurately.
__✓_____ I often sing or hum while working.
__✓_____ I like music playing while I’m doing things.
_______ I’m good at keeping time to a piece of music.
_______ I consider music an important part of my life.
Interpersonal Intelligence: The capacity to understand other people (“people smart”)
__✓_____ I prefer group activities to solo activities.
__✓_____ Others think of me as a leader.
_✓______ I enjoy the challenge of teaching others something I like to do.
___✓____ I like to get involved in social activities at school, church, or work.
_______ If I have a problem, I’m more likely to get help than tough it out alone.
_______ I feel comfortable in a crowd of people.
__✓_____ I have several close friends.
__✓_____ I’m the sort of person others come to for advice about their problems.
Intrapersonal Intelligence: The capacity to understand yourself, who you are, and what you
can do (“self-smart”)
_______ I like to spend time alone thinking about important questions in life.
___✓____ I have invested time in learning more about myself.
_______ I consider myself to be independent minded.
__✓_____ I keep a journal of my inner thoughts.
_______ I’d rather spend a weekend alone than at a place with a lot of other people around.
__✓_____ I’ve thought seriously about starting a business of my own.
___✓____ I’m realistic about my own strengths and weaknesses.
__✓_____ I have goals for my life that I’m working on.
Naturalistic Intelligence: The capacity to discriminate between living things and show
sensitivity toward the natural world (“nature smart”)
__✓_____ Environmental problems bother me.
_✓______ In school, I always enjoyed field trips to places in nature or away from class.
___✓____ I enjoy studying nature, plants, or animals.
__✓_____ I’ve always done well on projects involving living systems.
__✓_____ I enjoy pets.
___✓____ I notice signs of wildlife when I’m on a walk or hike.
_______ I can recognize types of plants, trees, rocks, birds, and so on.
___✓____ I enjoy learning about environmental issues.
Which intelligences have the most checkmarks? Although this is an informal instrument, it
can help you think about the concept of multiple intelligences, or MI. How are you smart?