Creativity — REET CDP Notes
Creativity is the CDP topic that produces direct questions on Wallas's model of the creative process, Guilford's divergent thinking, James Drever's classification of imagination, and the traits of creative children — plus tricky 'which statement is false' questions. REET 2024 carried four questions in a row on this topic, so it pays to understand every theory with an example rather than memorise it, so you don't get caught out by the misleading options in the exam.
- 4 questions in REET 2024
- All levels (L1 & L2)
- 8 min read
How REET asks this topic
None of REET 2024's four questions on this topic were plain, definition-based recall — they tested a deeper understanding of the concepts: the first stage of Wallas's model of the creative process and which stage is the 'Eureka moment', the sub-categories James Drever divided imagination into, and 'which one is NOT' a trait of creativity — a classic trap question. The pattern is clear: you need both the theory and its opposite, since examiners often slip in a trait or stage that sounds right but is wrong.
The meaning of creativity
Creativity is the mental ability through which a person generates new, original and useful ideas, objects or solutions. It isn't confined to art — creativity is used in science, mathematics, language, and everyday problem-solving too.
Creativity can't be entirely separated from intelligence, but the two aren't equal either — a child with a high IQ isn't necessarily equally creative, and this exact point has been tested in REET: creativity doesn't necessarily correlate directly with school achievement (marks) either.
Psychologists have developed several tests to measure creativity, of which the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking are the most widely used. This test comes in both verbal and figural forms and scores on four components: fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration.
Creative children also tend to share a recognisable set of traits, and REET likes to test these by asking which trait does NOT belong on the list. Genuinely creative children are typically curious, comfortable with ambiguity, willing to take risks, independent in their thinking, and persistent when an idea doesn't work the first time. Traits like 'avoiding risk', 'always wanting one fixed method', or 'depending entirely on others' approval' are the opposite of creativity, and options built around them are usually the trap in a 'which is NOT a characteristic' question.
Why creativity matters — from a teacher's point of view
For a would-be teacher, understanding creativity isn't just about clearing an exam — it also matters for recognising original thinking in the classroom. A teacher who's familiar with the theory of creativity treats a child's 'different' answer as a window into their thought process, rather than dismissing it as a mistake.
From REET's point of view, this is one of the few CDP areas where not just theory but the practical meaning of that theory is tested — so linking every concept to a classroom example is the most effective way to remember it. Keep in mind that, according to James Drever, imagination is mainly of two kinds — reproductive and productive — and productive imagination further splits into pragmatic and aesthetic imagination.
It also helps to remember that creativity isn't a rare gift only a handful of children possess — every child shows some degree of it, and it can be nurtured the same way any other skill can. A teacher who only rewards the single 'expected' answer, or who treats an unusual response as a discipline problem, ends up suppressing exactly the kind of thinking this topic asks you to recognise and protect. That is why REET's questions on creativity so often circle back to classroom behaviour rather than pure theory: examiners want to know whether you, as a future teacher, can tell the difference between a wrong answer and a differently-reasoned one.
Guilford's Divergent Thinking
| Component | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fluency | The ability to generate as many ideas/options as possible for a problem |
| Flexibility | The ability to think across different categories or viewpoints |
| Originality | The ability to produce unusual, novel ideas |
| Elaboration | Adding fine detail to an idea to flesh it out |
J. P. Guilford treated divergent thinking as the central aspect of creativity — the opposite of convergent thinking, which means arriving at a single correct answer.[Source 2]
Wallas's model of the creative process (1926)
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Understanding the problem, gathering information and facts — this is the first stage |
| Incubation | Setting the problem aside for a while; conscious effort stops |
| Illumination | The solution suddenly strikes — this is what's called the 'Eureka moment' |
| Verification | Checking, refining and practically testing the solution that emerged |
Graham Wallas described these four stages of creative thinking in his book 'The Art of Thought' (1926).[Source 1]
James Drever's classification of imagination
- Reproductive imagination
- Recalling past experiences exactly as they were, with nothing new added
- Productive/creative imagination → Pragmatic
- Works toward solving practical, real-life problems; it has two sub-types — Practical and Theoretical imagination
- Productive/creative imagination → Aesthetic
- Linked to a sense of beauty and emotional expression; it has two sub-types — Artistic and Fantastic imagination
Using this in the classroom
| Strategy | Example |
|---|---|
| Asking open-ended questions | An activity like 'how many uses can you think of for a brick?' builds both divergent thinking and fluency in children |
| Accepting unusual answers | Don't dismiss a child's unusual answer as wrong right away — let them explain their reasoning |
| Connecting art and language | Have children write a new ending for a story, give them a free topic in drawing, or make a poem/collage |
| Encouraging children to take risks | Reduce the fear of giving a wrong answer, to build a safe environment for experimenting with new ideas in class |
| Building flexibility into assessment | Give credit to a range of reasoned answers instead of insisting on just one 'correct' one, especially in language and art subjects |
Being a pure CDP (pedagogy) topic, its direct educational application shows up in classroom strategy, not in any particular subject's activities.
Memory trick / exam tip
Remember Wallas's four stages in order — 'Preparation → Incubation → Illumination → Verification' (P-I-I-V). Keep in mind: 'Eureka' will always be linked to Illumination, never Incubation — this mix-up is common in REET. Similarly, remember Guilford's four components in the order 'F-F-O-E' (Fluency-Flexibility-Originality-Elaboration) so you can spot the right component the moment you see an example.
Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)
Question 23
Which type of imagination is classified under pragmatic imagination of James Drever ?
- Aव्यावहारिक और सैद्धांतिक
- Bसौंदर्यात्मक और अनोखी
- Cकलात्मक और सृजनात्मक
- Dसंरचनात्मक और सृजनात्मक
Explanation
जेम्स ड्रीवर (James Drever) ने कल्पना को पुनरुत्पादक (reproductive) और उत्पादक/रचनात्मक (productive) में बाँटा है। रचनात्मक कल्पना के दो भेद हैं — परिणामवादी (pragmatic) कल्पना, जिसके उपप्रकार व्यावहारिक (practical) और सैद्धान्तिक (theoretical) हैं; तथा सौंदर्यात्मक (aesthetic) कल्पना, जिसके उपप्रकार कलात्मक और अनोखी/काल्पनिक (fantastic) हैं। अतः परिणामवादी कल्पना के अन्तर्गत व्यावहारिक और सैद्धान्तिक कल्पना आती है।
Question 18
Which stage is known as the “Eureka” movement in creative process ?
- Aगर्भाधान की अवस्था
- Bपुनरीक्षण की अवस्था
- Cप्रबोधन की अवस्था
- Dतैयारी की अवस्था
Explanation
वालास (Wallas) के सृजनात्मक प्रक्रिया मॉडल की अवस्थाएँ हैं – तैयारी, उद्भवन/गर्भाधान (incubation), प्रबोधन/अंतर्दृष्टि (illumination) और सत्यापन/पुनरीक्षण। प्रबोधन अवस्था में समस्या का हल अचानक सूझ जाता है, इसलिए इसे 'यूरेका' क्षण कहा जाता है।
Question 23
Which of the following is not the characteristics of creativity ?
- Aसृजनात्मकता साहसी और खुली सोच है
- Bसृजनात्मकता में अहं की भागीदारी होती है
- Cसृजनात्मकता को बुद्धि से पृथक नहीं किया जा सकता है
- Dसृजनात्मकता एवं विद्यालयी उपलब्धि परस्पर संबंधित है
Explanation
शिक्षा मनोविज्ञान की पाठ्यपुस्तकों में सृजनात्मकता की विशेषताओं के रूप में खुली और साहसी सोच, अहं की भागीदारी (ego involvement) आदि गिनाई जाती हैं। साथ ही यह पढ़ाया जाता है कि ऊँचे विद्यालयी अंक पाने वाला हर विद्यार्थी सृजनशील हो, यह आवश्यक नहीं। इसलिए BSER की अंतिम कुंजी के अनुसार 'सृजनात्मकता एवं विद्यालयी उपलब्धि परस्पर संबंधित है' (D) विशेषता नहीं मानी गई।
Question 5
What is the first stage in the development of creativity ?
- Aउष्मायन का चरण
- Bप्रबोधन का चरण
- Cपुनरीक्षण का चरण
- Dतैयारी का चरण
Explanation
ग्राहम वालास (Wallas) के अनुसार सृजनात्मक प्रक्रिया के चार चरण हैं — तैयारी (Preparation), उष्मायन (Incubation), प्रबोधन/अंतर्दृष्टि (Illumination) और सत्यापन/पुनरीक्षण (Verification)। अतः पहला चरण तैयारी का चरण है, जिसमें समस्या को समझकर जानकारी एकत्र की जाती है।
Practice questions
Question 1
According to Wallas, which is the second stage of the creative process?
- Aउद्भवन (Incubation)
- Bतैयारी (Preparation)
- Cप्रबोधन (Illumination)
- Dसत्यापन (Verification)
Explanation
Wallas's sequence is: Preparation → Incubation → Illumination → Verification. So the second stage is Incubation.
Question 2
In Guilford's divergent thinking, when a person suggests solutions from different categories/approaches, which component does this show?
- Aप्रवाह (Fluency)
- Bलचीलापन (Flexibility)
- Cमौलिकता (Originality)
- Dविस्तार (Elaboration)
Explanation
Fluency is about the number of ideas, while flexibility is the ability to think across different categories or viewpoints. Since the question mentions 'different viewpoints', the answer is flexibility.
Question 3
Convergent thinking is mainly related to what?
- Aएक ही सही उत्तर तक पहुँचना
- Bअनेक संभावित उत्तर खोजना
- Cकल्पना का विस्तार करना
- Dयादृच्छिक विचार उत्पन्न करना
Explanation
Convergent thinking is about logically arriving at one single correct answer, while divergent thinking involves generating many possible answers.
Question 4
Which of the following is NOT a common characteristic of creative children?
- Aजिज्ञासा
- Bजोखिम लेने की प्रवृत्ति से बचना
- Cखुली एवं साहसी सोच
- Dस्वतंत्र चिंतन
Explanation
Creative children are generally not afraid to take risks — they try out new and unusual ideas. 'Avoiding risk' is not one of their traits.
Question 5
What should a teacher do to promote creativity in the classroom?
- Aकेवल पाठ्यपुस्तक तक सीमित रखना
- Bबच्चों के असामान्य उत्तरों को हतोत्साहित करना
- Cखुले प्रश्न पूछना और विविध उत्तरों को स्वीकारना
- Dहमेशा एक ही निश्चित तरीके से उत्तर देना सिखाना
Explanation
Open-ended questions give children room for divergent thinking, and accepting a range of answers encourages their creativity.
Question 6
An activity like 'name as many uses of a brick as you can' is mainly done in class for what purpose?
- Aस्मरण शक्ति जाँचना
- Bअपसारी चिंतन एवं सृजनात्मकता को बढ़ावा देना
- Cवर्तनी सुधारना
- Dअनुशासन सिखाना
Explanation
Such activities push children to think of many possible uses for a single object, which fosters divergent thinking and creativity.
Question 7
The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking are mainly used to measure what?
- Aबुद्धि लब्धि
- Bव्यक्तित्व
- Cसृजनात्मकता
- Dस्मृति
Explanation
The Torrance Tests are used mainly to measure creative ability (fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration).
Question 8
In Wallas's model, when a person sets the problem aside for some time and engages in other activities, which stage is this?
- Aतैयारी
- Bउद्भवन
- Cप्रबोधन
- Dसत्यापन
Explanation
During Incubation, conscious effort stops and the problem keeps 'simmering' in the subconscious mind.
Question 9
Regarding the relationship between creativity and school achievement, which statement is correct?
- Aमजबूत विद्यालयी उपलब्धि सृजनशीलता की गारंटी देती है
- Bसृजनशीलता एवं विद्यालयी उपलब्धि में सीधा संबंध होना आवश्यक नहीं
- Cसृजनशील बालक सदैव कक्षा में अव्वल आते हैं
- Dसृजनशीलता का विद्यालयी परीक्षा परिणामों से सीधा विरोध है
Explanation
It isn't necessary for every high-scoring student to be creative, so assuming a direct link between the two is incorrect.
Question 10
What does 'ego-involvement' in creativity mean?
- Aव्यक्ति अपने कार्य को गहरे व्यक्तिगत जुड़ाव के साथ करता है
- Bव्यक्ति दूसरों की आलोचना से बिल्कुल प्रभावित नहीं होता
- Cव्यक्ति केवल पुरस्कार के लिए कार्य करता है
- Dव्यक्ति समूह में कार्य करना पसंद नहीं करता
Explanation
Ego-involvement means a person carries out their work with deep personal engagement, connecting it to their own self-esteem and identity, and pursuing it with genuine interest and dedication.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions come from creativity in REET?+
This is part of the CDP section, which carries 30 questions combined across L1 and L2. Creativity alone usually contributes 1-2 questions almost every year — REET 2024 asked a full 4 questions from this topic, which is above the norm.
What's a simple definition of creativity?+
Creativity is the mental ability to produce new, original and useful ideas, objects or solutions. It's used across art, science and everyday problem-solving.
In Wallas's model of the creative process, what is the 'Eureka moment'?+
It refers to the Illumination stage — when, after Incubation, the solution to the problem suddenly strikes without any conscious effort.
Are creativity and intelligence the same thing?+
No. The two are related and can't be entirely separated, but they aren't equal either — a child with a high IQ isn't necessarily equally creative.
What does Guilford's Divergent Thinking represent?+
The ability to think of many possible solutions to the same problem, measured through fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration, and considered the central aspect of creativity.
Read next
Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English pilot page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked