Question at position 18 Sean's parents think he is very creative. His uncle James, however, repeatedly brings up the many times Sean's "hair-brained" ideas didn't succeed and argues that Sean is just a little weird and really isn't creative at all. According to the information in your textbook, is Uncle James correct?Yes; true creativity is without weirdness.No; creative thinkers make mistakes more than others but cannot be labeled weird.Yes; true creativity produces a large percentage of successes compared to failures.No; creative thinkers learn to cope with unsuccessful projects and see failure as an opportunity to learn.No; creative thinkers learn from their mistakes but don't think their work can be objectively evaluated.

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the scenario: Sean is praised for creativity by his parents, while Uncle James dismisses it by labeling Sean as weird and implying a lack of creativity. We need to evaluate each statement against typical textbook concepts of creativity.
Option 1: 'Yes; true creativity is without weirdness.' This claim is problematic. Textbook discussions of creativity often acknowledge that novel or unconventional ideas—which might seem quirky or 'weird' to some—are part of the creative process. Therefore, saying true creativity is without weirdness is an oversimplification and inaccurate.
Option 2: 'No; creative thinkers make mistakes more than others but cannot be labeled weird.' Here, the assertion that creative thinkers necessarily make more mistakes is not universally supported, and it also implies that making mistakes excludes being labeled weird. The second part of the claim ('cannot be labeled weird') is socially dubious and not a firm criterion in most theories of creativity, making this option misleading.
Option 3: 'Yes; true creativity produces a large percentage of successes compared to failures.' This reflects a common myth about creativity—that it yields predominantly successful ideas. In reality, creativity often involves numerous failures or partial successes before any noteworthy breakthrough, so this option mischaracterizes the typical innovation process.
Option 4: 'No; creative thinkers learn to cope with unsuccessful projects and see failure as an opportunity to learn.' This aligns with widely taught views that creativity involves resilience, iterative experimentation, and learning from unsuccessful attempts. It emphasizes viewing failure as informative rather than as a verdict on one's creativity.
Option 5: 'No; creative thinkers learn from their mistakes but don't think their work can be objectively evaluated.' While learning from mistakes is true, the statement that creative work cannot be objectively evaluated is overly absolute. Many assessment frameworks do involve objective criteria (criteria like originality, usefulness, technical quality) even though subjective judgments may also play a role. This option is therefore inaccurate as a blanket claim.
In summary, the option that best matches standard textbook understanding is that creative thinkers cope with failures and view them as opportunities to learn, rather than being discouraged by them. This captures the iterative and resilient nature of creative work while addressing the misconception that creativity requires abnormal success rates or a denial of evaluation. The other options rely on oversimplifications about whimsy, failure frequency, or the impossibility of evaluation.

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