Different descriptions correspond to different problem classes with different attributes. Depending on what particular class is chosen for fiddling with its attributes makes the occupation more or less inspiring. This is still the same tinkering but with attributes of a different class. Being aware of a problem classification like the one above certainly helps in coming up with new problems. I think Polya, as a teacher , would have eventually regretted dubbing the student dull.
Education is a process .
Inculcating the right stuff takes time. The sooner one starts, the better are the chances. Here Polya clearly broke the object oriented spell. The process of mathematics education should emphasize the relationship between abstract and concrete, i.e., between classes and objects. OO thinking seems to lead to the conclusion that the knowledge built as a result must be hierarchical.