Which of the following statements is consistent with Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?

• A. Linguistic and mathematical intelligence are the 2 main types of intelligence
• B. Students can only excel in one academic subject
• C. Students who do not succeed in traditional academic subjects are likely to have other strengths that may be overlooked by teachers
• D. students who have strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills will not be successful academically

Answer: (C)

Gardner’s view is that intelligence isn’t a single, narrow capacity but a set of multiple abilities people can excel in, many of which aren’t captured by conventional school subjects. This means students can be strong in areas like interpersonal or musical skills even if they don’t perform well in traditional academics, and those strengths might be overlooked if teachers only value standard subjects.

The statement that aligns with this idea is that students who don’t succeed in traditional academic subjects are likely to have other strengths that may be overlooked by teachers. It captures the core notion that diverse talents exist and should be recognized and nurtured, rather than assuming academic success is defined solely by traditional measures.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: limiting intelligence to linguistic and mathematical types ignores the broader range Gardner proposed; insisting students can only excel in one academic subject contradicts the multiple-intelligences framework; and claiming that strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills preclude academic success goes against the notion that these strengths can contribute to learning and can manifest in different, sometimes nontraditional, ways of achievement.