PROBLEM 6. Hoiv Mankind Can Be Improved 5 1 7 



Questions 



1. Give three reasons why it is difficult to study human heredity. Ex- 

 plain how inheritance of eye color in man has been studied. 



2. What is meant by eugenics? Why is it necessary to read critically 

 what is written about eugenics? 



3. For what two reasons is the inheritance of physical defects more 

 easily studied than the inheritance of other physical characteristics? 

 Give examples of the inheritance of physical defects. 



4. Why do we know so little about the inheritance of size and weight? 



5. Why can an infectious disease not be inherited? What did you read 

 about the inheritance of organic diseases? 



6. What kind of traits may be spoken of as mental? Distinguish between 

 intelligence and knowledge. With what do we compare the score 

 made on an intelligence test in order to get the I.Q.? Why are I.Q.'s 

 often inaccurate? What is meant by feeble-mindedness? 



7. W^hy does it seem reasonable to believe that mental traits may be in- 

 herited? Give some facts that are used as evidence of the inheritance 

 of mental traits, referring to three or four different famiUes. Which 

 evidence do you consider most convincing? 



8. What criticisms can be made of this evidence? 



9. Name three measures adopted by some of our states and by some 

 other countries to prevent the increase of defective germ plasm. 

 Why do some people believe that feeble-mindedness cannot be wiped 

 out? What has been suggested as a method of improving the human 

 race by breeding? Comment on this. 



10. Discuss the complexity of man's environment, listing at least ten im- 

 portant factors. 



1 1. What reason have we for beheving that slight changes in the environ- 

 ment can cause great changes in the individual? What is the differ- 

 ence between identical and fraternal t\vins? 



12. Explain the nearest approach to controlled experiments on human be- 

 ings. Do different environments seem to make a greater difference 

 in physical or in mental traits? 



13. Is there more hope of improving man through breeding or through 

 providing a better environment? Name six measures a community 

 can adopt to improve the people in the community. Define euthenics. 

 Since the effects of the environment are not inherited how can the 

 race be improved by euthenics? 



14. How can scientific knowledge be used to improve mankind? 



Exercises 



I. Using B to represent brown-eyedness and b to represent blue-eyed- 

 ness, show what eye color might be expected in the children of large 

 numbers of matings of pure brown-eyed parents; blue-eyed parents; 

 hybrid brown-eyed parents. 



