Education
Select a Level
NEW
9 Sept 2026
Photo credit: Getty
Who Has the Highest IQ in the World?
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) A person with a score of 228 on an intelligence test.
b) A cat that learned to solve hard maths tests.
c) A robot that passed a difficult university exam.
Ask:
(1) What does it mean when someone is very smart?
(2) Do you think a test can measure how clever you are?
VOCABULARY
score (/skɔː/, noun)
Meaning: The number of points you get in a test or game.
Example: She got a high score in the class game today.
clever (/ˈklev.ə/, adjective)
Meaning: Quick at learning and understanding new things.
Example: The clever boy solved the small puzzle very fast.
puzzle (/ˈpʌz.əl/, noun)
Meaning: A game or problem that tests your brain power.
Example: My friend likes to do a word puzzle every morning.
brain (/breɪn/, noun)
Meaning: The part inside your head that helps you think.
Example: Exercise helps your body and your brain stay healthy.
world (/wɜːld/, noun)
Meaning: The earth with all its countries and people.
Example: People live in many different countries around the world.
record (/ˈrek.ɔːd/, noun)
Meaning: The best or highest result ever written down.
Example: He set a new record for running very fast.
An IQ test measures how you solve a clever puzzle. Most people get a score near one hundred points. Some smart people get a higher score. Marilyn vos Savant is a famous woman from the United States. When she was ten years old, she took a special test. She got a score of two hundred and twenty-eight points! This was an official world record for a very long time.
Today, scientists say that an IQ test only checks special brain skills. It shows how fast you find patterns and solve logic tasks. However, it does not show all types of clever thinking. It does not measure music skills, kind art, or good feelings for other people. Being smart means many different things to scientists today. Your brain can grow when you practice and learn new things every single day.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(1) Do you like doing puzzles or maths problems at school?
(2) Is it better to be good at art or good at numbers?
(3) What new skill do you want to learn this year?
(4) How do you feel when you solve a tricky problem?
(5) Why is it good that people are smart in different ways?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: brain | puzzle | record | score
An IQ test measures how you solve a clever _______(1). Most people get a _______(2) near one hundred points. Some smart people get a higher result. Marilyn vos Savant is a famous woman from the United States. When she was ten years old, she took a special test. She got two hundred and twenty-eight points! This was an official world _______(3) for a very long time. Today, scientists say that an IQ test only checks special _______(4) skills. It shows how fast you find patterns and solve logic tasks.
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this article?
a) IQ tests show every kind of talent a child has.
b) High IQ scores exist, but intelligence comes in many forms.
c) Scientists think no one should ever do logic tests.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
(1) Most people get an IQ score near one hundred points. T/F
(2) Marilyn vos Savant took her famous test when she was twenty. T/F
(3) An IQ test measures how kind you are to other people. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
a) Scientists explain that IQ tests do not measure kindness or art.
b) Marilyn vos Savant takes a special intelligence test as a child.
c) She gets a record score of two hundred and twenty-eight points.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) score
(2) clever
(3) puzzle
(4) brain
(5) record
a) Quick at learning and thinking
b) The organ in your head used for thinking
c) A game that tests your mind
d) The number of points you get
e) The best score ever recorded
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) The young girl felt happy because her test _______ was very high.
a) score
b) color
(2) You can train your _______ by reading books every day.
a) shoes
b) brain
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) Unscramble the sentence:
A) test / B) measures / C) An / D) brain / E) skills
(2) Unscramble the sentence:
A) can / B) Your / C) learn / D) brain / E) daily
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up Answer: a) A person with a score of 228 on an intelligence test.
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) puzzle
(2) score
(3) record
(4) brain
Section 2: Main Idea
b) High IQ scores exist, but intelligence comes in many forms.
Section 3: True or False
(1) True
(2) False
(3) False
Section 4: Put Events in Order
1: b) Marilyn vos Savant takes a special intelligence test as a child.
2: c) She gets a record score of two hundred and twenty-eight points.
3: a) Scientists explain that IQ tests do not measure kindness or art.
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) d
(2) a
(3) c
(4) b
(5) e
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) a) score
(2) b) brain
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) C - A - B - D - E (An test measures brain skills -> An IQ test measures brain skills)
(2) B - D - A - C - E (Your brain can learn daily)
Section 8: Discussion Questions
Student's own answers.
Thank you for your feedback!