Presume there's a multiple choice with two decent answers. A "rebellious" person would see the merit in both and essentially coin toss. A conformist would mimic what the professor sees and pick his right one.

The rebellious person did a deeper, objective, thoughtful analysis but did worse than the obedient mimic.

Often it's a D student who knows the material the best, has the most passion for the subject, is the smartest in the class, and puts the most work in. I saw it all the time while I was TAing.