le girl, it was impossible to get any response
by the usual procedure, but immediately when a doll was shown the child
pointed willingly to its nose, eyes, mouth, and hair. The device was
successful because it withdrew the child's attention from herself and
centered it upon something objective.

SCORING. _Three responses out of four_ must be correct. Instead of
pointing, the child sometimes responds by winking the eyes, opening the
mouth, etc., which is counted as satisfactory.

REMARKS. Binet's purpose in this test is to ascertain whether the
subject is capable of comprehending simple language. The ability to
comprehend and use language is indeed one of the most reliable
indications of the grade of mental development. The appreciation of
gestures comes first, then the comprehension of language heard, next the
ability to repeat words and sentences mechanically, and finally the
ability to use language as a means of communication. The present test,
however, is not more strictly a test of language comprehension than the
others of the 3-year group, and in any case it could not be said to mark
the _beginning_ of the power to comprehend spoken language. That is
fairly well advanced by the age of 2 years. The test closely resembles
III, 2 (naming familiar objects), and III, 3 (enumeration of objects in
a picture), except that it brings in a personal element and gives some
clue to the development of the sense of self. All the data agree in
locating the test at year III.

III, 2. NAMING FAMILIAR OBJECTS

PROCEDURE. Use a key, a penny, a closed knife, a watch, and an ordinary
lead pencil. The key should be the usual large-sized doorkey, not one of
the Yale type. The penny should not be too new, for the freshly made,
untarnished penny resembles very little the penny usually seen. Any
ordinary pocket knife may be used, and it is to be shown unopened. The
formula is, "_What is this?_" or, "_Tell me what this is._"

SCORING. There must be at least _three correct responses out of five_. A
response is not correct unless the object is named. It is not sufficient
for the child merely to show that he knows its use. A child, for
example, may take the pencil and begin to mark with it, or go to the
door and insert the key in the lock, but this is not sufficient. At the
same time we must not be too arbitrary about requiring a particular
name. "Cent" or "pennies" for "penny" is satisfactory, but "money" is
not. The watch is sometimes ca