Unit 5 / Reading 2

 

Dear Mrs. Faringdon,

Following your visit to our assessment centre with your daughter Jessica, please find enclosed a detailed report of the tests we conducted on her, along with various physiological data. As you will see, we regret that we are unable to state that Jessica is of above average intelligence. She does not display to an exceptional degree any of the personality traits which are associated with giftedness, and which our tests are specially designed to detect.

For divergency, by which I mean a preference for the unusual, original and creative, Jessica scored 3 out of 10. With such a score, she is unlikely to be innovative in any field, or achieve any major breakthrough. She is not one of those "ideas" people who challenge and motivate others. This may be a good thing divergent thinkers sometimes find it difficult to tolerate other people's ideas, and this can lead to friction.

For excitability, Jessica also scored below average. This is different from hyperactivity in that excitable gifted individuals are able to concentrate for long periods of time. Some of the great inventors were excitable Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous example. Jessica, however, is a fairly calm child, neither a risk-taker nor someone who gets bored easily and is always looking for something new.

For sensitivity, Jessica's score was rather poor. She is unlikely to be a poet, humanitarian worker, or a political and religious leader. Such people think with their feelings, and always seek to do what is right for others. According to our tests, Jessica does not have a strongly developed sense of morality but is in fact rather selfish.

As far as perceptivity is concerned, Jessica is perfectly within the norm for her age. Gifted children are generally able to view several aspects of a situation simultaneously and are skilled at understanding other people's motivations. This feature is not prominent in Jessica's behaviour, although she does react appropriately in most situations.

Please do not be downhearted at these results. They in no way mean that Jessica will not lead a perfectly happy and normal life. All they mean is that she is not exceptionally gifted. But this is not all bad news it means she will not have to tackle the sort of problems gifted people often have to deal with.

If you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact me. I recommend another assessment in three months to see if Jessica is developing as predicted. Please note that we are currently offering a 30% discount on our lifelong assessment contract, which is now available for an annual fee of only $125.

Yours sincerely,

David Grabber