A

 Think back to when you were in a classroom, and the teacher set a difficult problem. Which of the two following answers is closer to the way you reacted? A: Oh no, this is too hard for me. I'm not even going to seriously try. B: Ah, this is quite difficult, but I like to push myself. Even if I don't get the right answer, maybe I'll learn something in the attempt.

 The psychologist Carol Dweck of Stanford University gave a group of children problems that were slightly too hard. One group reacted positively, said they loved to challenge and understood that their abilities could be developed. She said they had a ‘growth mindset’. But another group felt that their intelligence was being judged and they had failed. They had a ‘fixed mindset’ and were unable to imagine improving.

 Professor Dweck comes to a conclusion that, for years, children have been praised for their intelligence or talent, but this makes them sensitive to failure. They want to please by getting high grades, without interest in learning. The solution is to praise the process that children are engaged in: making an effort, using learning methods and improving. This way they will become better and achieve more.

 Psychologists have been testing these theories. Students were taught that if they left their comfort zone and learned something new and difficult, they would be more intelligent. These students made faster progress than a control group. In another study, unsuccessful school children were exposed to the growth mindset technique for a year. The results were astonishing. They came tops in a regional test, beating children from much more privileged backgrounds. These children had previously felt that making an effort was a sign of being stupid, but they came to see it as the key to learning.

 So, back to our original question, if you answered B, well done — you already have a growth mindset. If A, don't worry; everyone is capable of becoming better with a little effort and self­awareness.

1£®The author mentions the two answers at the beginning to ________.

A£®give an example   B£®teach how to react

C£®draw a conclusion   D£®introduce the topic

2£®Which aspect should be praised according to Professor Dweck?

A£®Talent.   B£®High grades.

C£®Hard­working.   D£®Achievements.

3£®What makes the students with the fixed mindset fail?

A£®Lacking imagination.   B£®Negative attitudes.

C£®Poor judgment.   D£®Low intelligence.

4£®What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A£®Making an effort.   B£®The regional test.

C£®The background.   D£®The comfort zone.