Nisa has grown up in a small village in the foothills. There was no electricity and water had to be hand pumped. They seldom saw people from the "outside." When she entered school the bus had to pick her up at 6:30 a.m. in order for her to arrive at school by 8:30 a.m. During the fourth grade the entire class was given a group intelligence test. Nisa did not score well because:


a. the norms upon which the test was developed did not reflect her background.
b. her background caused the relationship between reliability and validity to be inaccurate.
c. she probably had difficulty learning to read.
d. she did not understand test taking.

From my understanding I think it is a or b.

a. the norms upon which the test was developed did not reflect her background.

I agree with A.

I think it's A, also.

Based on the information provided, it is likely that option a, "the norms upon which the test was developed did not reflect her background," is the most accurate explanation for Nisa's poor performance on the group intelligence test. It is possible that the test was developed using norms that are more relevant to individuals from different backgrounds or environments, which could have impacted Nisa's ability to perform well.

To clarify, norms in this context refer to the standard or average performance levels of a specific group of people who have taken the test. If the norms used were based on individuals from a different socio-cultural background, it could result in an unfair assessment of Nisa's abilities. This discrepancy in norms can occur when tests are developed without considering the diversity of experiences and backgrounds of the test-takers.

It is also possible that option b, "her background caused the relationship between reliability and validity to be inaccurate," could play a role. Reliability and validity are important factors in assessing the quality of a test. Reliability refers to the consistency of test results, while validity refers to the accuracy and relevance of the test in measuring the intended construct (in this case, intelligence). If Nisa's background significantly affected the relationship between reliability and validity, it could have negatively impacted her test performance.

However, without further information about Nisa's specific difficulties and abilities, it is difficult to make a definitive determination. It is also worth mentioning that options c and d are also possible factors contributing to Nisa's poor performance, but the information provided does not strongly support them as the primary reasons.