Which type of intelligence is characterized by accumulated knowledge such as vocabulary and general information, which some theorists believe increases with age?

• A. Analytic Intelligence
• B. Fluid Intelligence
• C. Crystallized Intelligence
• D. Creative Intelligence

Answer: (C)

Crystallized intelligence is the store of knowledge you've accumulated over time—vocabulary, general information, facts, and cultural knowledge. This type of intelligence tends to increase with age because it builds from education, reading, and life experiences. It relies on long-term memory and the ability to retrieve learned information, which typically grows as you learn more. In contrast, fluid intelligence is about solving new problems and pattern recognition in novel situations and often declines with age; analytic and creative intelligences describe other skills—logical reasoning with information and generating new ideas, respectively—that don’t fit the description of accumulated knowledge. So the best fit is crystallized intelligence.