Q1. Realism, as a philosophical foundation, would most support a curriculum that stresses:

• (A) learners’ feelings, choice and personal meaning
• (B) social protest and reform through education
• (C) observation, scientific method and knowledge of the real, external world
• (D) timeless truths and great works of the past

Q2. Pragmatism, associated with Dewey, treats truth in curriculum terms as something that is:

• (A) tested by its practical consequences in experience and action
• (B) fixed for all time in ancient texts alone
• (C) decided only by examination boards
• (D) irrelevant to classroom learning

Q3. Existentialism in curriculum planning gives the greatest weight to:

• (A) a single prescribed syllabus for every learner
• (B) uniform outcomes measured by the same test
• (C) the teacher’s authority to choose for all learners
• (D) the learner’s freedom, choice and responsibility for personal meaning

Q4. A curriculum dominated by drill in reading, writing and arithmetic, with the teacher at the centre, most reflects:

• (A) reconstructionism, with its focus on social reform
• (B) essentialism, with its focus on a disciplined core of basics
• (C) progressivism, with its focus on child interest alone
• (D) existentialism, with its focus on free individual choice

Q5. Which philosophical question must a curriculum developer answer before selecting content?

• (A) which teaching methods will cover the content most quickly
• (B) which textbook presents the content most clearly
• (C) how much time each subject should receive in the timetable
• (D) What is worth knowing, and what kind of person should education form?

Q6. Piaget’s contribution to the psychological foundation of curriculum is mainly that:

• (A) learners of all ages think in exactly the same way
• (B) motivation depends only on external rewards
• (C) children’s thinking develops through qualitatively different stages, affecting what they can grasp
• (D) social interaction plays no part in learning

Q7. Vygotsky’s idea of the zone of proximal development suggests that curriculum tasks should be set:

• (A) just beyond what a learner can do alone, with guidance from a teacher or capable peer
• (B) far beyond any help the learner could use
• (C) only at what the learner has already mastered alone
• (D) without any interaction or support

Q8. Bruner’s idea of a spiral curriculum implies that:

• (A) topics are taught once and then dropped forever
• (B) key ideas are revisited at increasing levels of complexity as learners mature
• (C) learners should never return to earlier topics
• (D) content should become simpler each year

Q9. Ausubel’s emphasis on meaningful learning implies that new curriculum content should be:

• (A) linked to learners’ existing cognitive structure through advance organisers and clear connections
• (B) chosen mainly for its practical usefulness in learners’ daily lives
• (C) sequenced as a hierarchy of behavioural objectives to be mastered in turn
• (D) practised through drill until it can be recalled accurately

Q10. Individual differences are a psychological foundation issue because they require curriculum to:

• (A) ignore differences in ability, interest and pace
• (B) use one method for every learner without variation
• (C) assess every learner only once a year
• (D) allow for varied pacing, support and activities suited to different learners

Q11. Motivation, as a psychological factor in curriculum, matters because:

• (A) motivation depends mainly on external rewards and punishments
• (B) learners who see purpose and interest in tasks engage more deeply and persist longer
• (C) motivation matters mainly because it keeps learners quiet and orderly in class
• (D) motivation matters mainly because motivated learners finish their work faster

Q12. Through the sociological lens, the school’s role in socialisation means that curriculum should help learners to:

• (A) learn only facts with no social learning
• (B) avoid all contact with community life
• (C) acquire the norms, values and skills needed to participate in society
• (D) reject every value held by their society

Q13. Cultural transmission as a function of curriculum means that schools:

• (A) create a new culture that replaces the society’s heritage
• (B) preserve the cultures of other societies alongside their own
• (C) let learners choose their heritage freely, with no selection by the school
• (D) pass on selected elements of a society’s heritage to the next generation

Q14. A curriculum that changes when occupations, technology and social needs change is responding to:

• (A) the sociological reality of social change, which requires education to adapt
• (B) the psychological reality of learner development, which changes with age
• (C) the philosophical aims of education, which state what schools should value
• (D) the economic cost of printing new materials for schools

Q15. The sociological concept of social mobility is relevant to curriculum because education can:

• (A) reproduce existing social positions without changing them
• (B) change a learner’s position only if the family is already wealthy
• (C) open or close pathways by which learners move to different roles and opportunities
• (D) open pathways only into university, not into other occupations

Q16. The term “curriculum” is derived from the Latin word for:

• (A) a textbook
• (B) a course or track to be run, suggesting a path of learning
• (C) an examination hall
• (D) a school building

Q17. A narrow definition of curriculum limits it to:

• (A) the subjects and topics prescribed for study in school
• (B) every experience a child ever has in life
• (C) the personal hobbies of learners outside school
• (D) the design of school buildings

Q18. Which document would a teacher consult to find the topics, in order, for Grade 10 mathematics for the year?

• (A) the scheme of studies for the secondary stage
• (B) the textbook prescribed for Grade 10 mathematics
• (C) the teacher’s diary of lessons taught during the year
• (D) The syllabus for Grade 10 mathematics

Q19. A scheme of studies differs from a single syllabus because it shows:

• (A) The detailed outline of topics, readings and activities for a single subject
• (B) The list of textbooks and reference books prescribed for one class
• (C) the whole pattern of subjects, classes and time allocation across a stage of schooling
• (D) The day-by-day lesson plans prepared by one teacher for one term

Q20. The core curriculum idea is best described as:

• (A) optional subjects chosen by a few learners
• (B) a common body of learning required for all learners, whatever their later specialisation
• (C) subjects taught only in private schools
• (D) learning that happens only after school hours

Q21. An activity-centred curriculum organises learning mainly around:

• (A) activities, projects and experiences through which learners learn by doing
• (B) lectures with no learner activity at all
• (C) silent reading of textbooks only
• (D) examinations with no teaching before them

Q22. A problem-centred curriculum is distinguished by organising learning around:

• (A) isolated facts with no context
• (B) textbook chapters in fixed order only
• (C) real-life problems that cut across subjects and require inquiry
• (D) the memorisation of dates and names alone

Q23. Which situation best illustrates the gap between intended and attained curriculum?

• (A) A syllabus is printed and distributed to schools
• (B) A teacher plans a lesson for the next day
• (C) A textbook is approved by a committee
• (D) A topic is prescribed and taught, yet many learners still cannot apply it

Q24. The written curriculum is:

• (A) what learners whisper to each other in class
• (B) the formally documented plan, including objectives, content and guidance for teaching
• (C) what is learned accidentally in the playground
• (D) the unwritten rules of a single classroom

Q25. Which of the following is an example of a course, rather than a whole curriculum?

• (A) The complete education system of a country
• (B) The overall aims of schooling for ages 5 to 16
• (C) The total set of experiences offered by a school
• (D) A one-term programme in introductory statistics for Grade 11

Q26. If a school claims to value creativity but its routines reward only silent conformity, learners are most likely learning from:

• (A) the hidden curriculum, conveyed by routines, rewards and expectations
• (B) the printed syllabus alone
• (C) the textbook index alone
• (D) the school timetable alone

Q27. A teacher who follows the syllabus topic list but changes the examples, activities and pace for her class is shaping:

• (A) the national policy document only
• (B) the implemented curriculum, as enacted in her classroom
• (C) the null curriculum only
• (D) the examination paper only

Q28. The phrase “curriculum as product” emphasises:

• (A) the process of discussion in class only
• (B) learners’ feelings during lessons only
• (C) planned outcomes and results achieved by the end of a programme
• (D) the physical appearance of textbooks only

Q29. “Curriculum as process” is best recognised when attention is given to:

• (A) how teachers and learners interact, inquire and make meaning during learning itself
• (B) the list of topics and objectives set out in the syllabus document
• (C) the textbooks and materials teachers are given to deliver
• (D) the examination results achieved at the end of the course

Q30. Which statement about curriculum and textbook is most accurate?

• (A) The textbook decides the aims of education
• (B) The textbook and the curriculum are always identical
• (C) The textbook replaces the need for a syllabus
• (D) The textbook is a resource for delivering curriculum, and it may cover only part of it

Q31. In curriculum design, a behavioural objective should normally state:

• (A) the topic to be covered and the textbook pages to be read
• (B) the learner performance expected, under what conditions, and to what standard where relevant
• (C) the teacher’s intention and the activities planned for the lesson
• (D) the general aim of the topic for the term

Q32. Which objective is written in the most assessable form?

• (A) Learners will appreciate poetry
• (B) Learners will understand fractions in general
• (C) Learners will know about the environment
• (D) Learners will solve ten addition problems with fractions correctly within fifteen minutes

Q33. Content validity in curriculum selection means that the content:

• (A) is popular with learners regardless of accuracy
• (B) is cheap to print
• (C) accurately represents the subject field and is up to date
• (D) appears in every textbook ever published

Q34. The criterion of learnability asks whether content is:

• (A) within learners’ ability and experience, so that they can actually master it with suitable teaching
• (B) the longest list of topics that subject specialists recommend
• (C) chosen by subject specialists for its importance in the discipline
• (D) the same for learners of every age, so that standards stay uniform

Q35. Vertical organisation of curriculum refers to:

• (A) links between subjects taught in the same term
• (B) links between schools in the same town
• (C) links between teachers in the same department
• (D) the arrangement of learning over time, from one grade to the next

Q36. Horizontal organisation is illustrated when:

• (A) Grade 9 content is sequenced before Grade 10 content
• (B) science, mathematics and language teachers coordinate a common theme in the same term
• (C) a topic is taught in Grade 5 and revisited in Grade 8
• (D) learners move from primary to secondary school

Q37. Balance as a principle of curriculum organisation requires:

• (A) giving all time to one subject
• (B) removing practical subjects entirely
• (C) a fair distribution of time and emphasis across subjects, skills and kinds of learning
• (D) teaching every subject for exactly the same minutes each day

Q38. Which example shows continuity in curriculum organisation?

• (A) The theme of measurement recurs in mathematics, science and geography across several grades, at greater depth
• (B) A theme appears once and is never mentioned again
• (C) Subjects are taught with no shared themes at all
• (D) Learners study unrelated topics in random order

Q39. Articulation in curriculum planning mainly concerns:

• (A) how clearly a teacher explains ideas in class
• (B) smooth connections and progression between stages, grades and levels of schooling
• (C) how subjects are linked by a common theme in the same term
• (D) how learning is sequenced from one grade to the next within a subject

Q40. Formative evaluation during curriculum implementation is used to:

• (A) award final certificates only
• (B) rank schools for public league tables only
• (C) punish teachers for weak results
• (D) gather ongoing feedback so that the curriculum can be improved while it is being taught

Q41. Summative evaluation of a curriculum is best described as:

• (A) a final judgement of its overall worth and outcomes after implementation
• (B) a daily check used only to adjust tomorrow’s lesson
• (C) a check of attendance registers
• (D) a survey of textbook prices

Q42. Needs assessment in curriculum development is the step in which planners:

• (A) print textbooks before any study
• (B) set examinations before objectives are chosen
• (C) study the gap between current outcomes and desired outcomes to identify what the curriculum must address
• (D) ignore learners and society entirely

Q43. A curriculum guide for teachers is useful mainly because it:

• (A) sets the objectives, content and assessment that teachers must follow
• (B) translates objectives, content, methods and assessment into practical classroom guidance
• (C) lists the examination questions for the year
• (D) fixes one approved method for every lesson

Q44. If assessment tests only recall, while objectives require analysis and application, the curriculum suffers from:

• (A) perfect alignment
• (B) too much content
• (C) too few textbooks
• (D) misalignment between objectives and assessment

Q45. Which statement about the application of Bloom’s taxonomy to assessment is most accurate?

• (A) It lists unrelated topics for a syllabus
• (B) It fixes the number of periods for each subject
• (C) It helps assessment designers cover a range of cognitive levels, from recall to evaluation and creation, rather than testing recall alone
• (D) It forbids the use of any objective in planning

Q46. Tyler set out his rationale in his 1949 book titled:

• (A) Curriculum Development: Theory and Practice
• (B) Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction
• (C) The Process of Education
• (D) Democracy and Education

Q47. Tyler argued that an objective should be stated in terms of:

• (A) the activities the teacher will carry out in the lesson
• (B) the chapters of the textbook to be covered
• (C) the marks learners should obtain in the examination
• (D) the behaviour to be developed in the learner and the content through which it is developed

Q48. Which source of objectives did Tyler place first, because it reveals learners’ needs, interests and problems?

• (A) Studies of the learners themselves
• (B) studies of contemporary life outside school
• (C) suggestions from subject specialists
• (D) studies of learners’ examination results in previous years

Q49. Tyler’s second source, studies of contemporary life, asks curriculum planners to consider:

• (A) the history of the subject and how it developed in the past
• (B) the preferences of textbook publishers and examination boards
• (C) the demands, problems and opportunities of life outside school today
• (D) the timetables used in schools in other countries

Q50. The philosophy screen in Tyler’s model is used to:

• (A) add objectives suggested by specialists to the list without selection
• (B) select among tentative objectives those consistent with the school’s values and aims
• (C) rank objectives by how easily they can be tested
• (D) check objectives against what psychology says about learning

Q51. The psychology screen in Tyler’s model checks whether an objective is:

• (A) popular with parents and supported by the community
• (B) assessable with the tests the school already uses
• (C) covered in the prescribed textbook for the class
• (D) attainable and appropriate given how learners learn and develop

Q52. For Tyler, a learning experience is effective only if it:

• (A) gives learners the opportunity to practise the behaviour implied by the objective
• (B) lets learners hear the behaviour explained clearly by the teacher
• (C) is delivered by lecture and followed by a written test
• (D) is enjoyed by learners and discussed in class

Q53. Tyler’s principles of organisation include continuity, sequence and integration. Integration here means:

• (A) teaching subjects in total isolation
• (B) repeating the same lesson unchanged
• (C) helping learners unify their learning across subjects and experiences
• (D) separating school from community life

Q54. Tyler’s approach to evaluation is best described as:

• (A) judging teachers by attendance alone
• (B) comparing learners’ actual behaviour with the behaviour stated in objectives
• (C) counting pages covered in a term
• (D) asking learners whether they enjoyed school

Q55. Taba presented her model in her 1962 work:

• (A) Curriculum Development: Theory and Practice
• (B) Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction
• (C) The Process of Education
• (D) Democracy and Education

Q56. The order of Taba’s grassroots steps begins with:

• (A) writing a national framework before any classroom work
• (B) setting national examinations before objectives
• (C) diagnosis of needs, followed by formulation of objectives, then selection and organisation of content and experiences
• (D) printing textbooks before diagnosing needs

Q57. In Taba’s model, after teachers develop and test specific units, the next move is to:

• (A) send the tested units to a central committee to write the national syllabus from its aims
• (B) generalise from the tested units into a broader curriculum design
• (C) pilot the same units unchanged in every school in the district
• (D) keep the tested units for use only in the classrooms of the teachers who made them

Q58. A limitation often noted for Taba’s grassroots model is that it:

• (A) gives teachers too much say in curriculum work
• (B) works only in very small schools
• (C) ignores classroom practice entirely
• (D) can be time-consuming and hard to coordinate across many schools without central support

Q59. Tyler’s model is deductive and Taba’s is inductive. This contrast means:

• (A) Tyler starts with classroom units and Taba starts with national aims
• (B) both start with examinations and work backward
• (C) Tyler starts with general purposes and derives specifics, while Taba starts with specific units and builds general design
• (D) neither model uses objectives at all

Q60. For a teacher-recruitment test, the most defensible summary of the Tyler-Taba relationship is that:

• (A) both models value clear objectives and evaluation, but differ in direction: Tyler is top-down, Taba is bottom-up and teacher-led
• (B) Tyler values objectives but Taba rejects all planning
• (C) Tyler is bottom-up and teacher-led, while Taba is top-down and centrally designed
• (D) Tyler and Taba differ on objectives but agree on direction and teacher role