Consider the following assessment questions (A) and (B) related to the working…
2024
Consider the following assessment questions (A) and (B) related to the working of the state government.
(A) : What is the purpose of a press conference? How is it different from a Legislative Assembly debate?
(B) : What is the term used to refer to elected representatives who are not members of the ruling party and who play the role of questioning govt. decisions?
Choose the correct option:
- A.
(A) tests conceptual knowledge whereas (B) tests factual knowledge.
- B.
(A) tests factual knowledge whereas (B) tests conceptual knowledge.
- C.
Both (A) and (B) test conceptual knowledge.
- D.
Both (A) and (B) test factual knowledge.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: An assessment item can test different kinds of knowledge. A FACTUAL / recall-type question asks the learner to retrieve one specific fact, name, or term already fixed in the source material — the answer is a single piece of information. A CONCEPTUAL / understanding-type question asks the learner to explain a purpose or function, or to compare two things — it needs reasoning about a relationship, not retrieval of a label.
Application: Question (A) asks for the purpose of a press conference and how it differs from a Legislative Assembly debate. Answering this needs an explanation of function plus a comparison between two institutions — reasoning about a relationship, i.e. conceptual knowledge. Question (B) asks for the specific term used for elected representatives who are outside the ruling party and question its decisions. Answering this needs only one recalled word (the standard term is "Opposition") — no explanation or comparison is involved, i.e. factual knowledge.
Cross-check: comparing the four ways (A) and (B) can be classified:
Swapping the assignment — treating (A) as needing only a recalled term and (B) as needing explanation and comparison — does not match the actual demand of either sub-question: (A) has no single-word answer, and (B) has no comparison to make.
Classifying both (A) and (B) as needing reasoning/comparison does not match (B), which is answered with one specific term and involves no comparison.
Classifying both (A) and (B) as needing only a recalled term does not match (A), which cannot be answered with a single word — it requires explaining a purpose and comparing it to another institution.
Result: (A) tests conceptual knowledge (explanation + comparison) whereas (B) tests factual knowledge (recall of the term "Opposition"). This matches the CBSE CTET January 2024 official Paper-II (Social Science) answer key for this item, and follows the standard pedagogy convention where questions demanding explanation/comparison of a relationship are conceptual and questions demanding a specific name or term are factual.