Origins of Intelligence

The Counterpoint author believes that the Flynn effect disproves the notion that intelligence is fixed at birth mainly because...?

• video games are such a popular form of entertainment

• if the worldwide average IQ increases over time, then IQ can’t be determined genetically

• as our ability to process visual information increases, so do our IQs

• it shows that as time goes by, the world’s intelligence stays the same

The Counterpoint author most likely includes the following passage to...

"However, studies of adopted children show that adoptees show some similarity in IQ both to their adoptive parents and to other children raised in the same household who are unrelated to them. In fact, a French study showed that transferring babies from impoverished households to wealthy ones improved childhood IQ scores by 12 to 16 points."

• suggest that children who are adopted do not have genetic similarities to the IQ of their adoptive parents

• say that poor people are often less intelligent than rich people

• demonstrate that intelligence can be increased or decreased by a child’s home and family

• prove that IQ doesn’t mean anything because it can be affected by changes in environment

Which idea is best supported by both Point and Counterpoint texts?

• An individual’s intelligence is determined by both their genetics and their environment.

• The intelligence of an individual is determined much in the same way as an individual’s height.

• A person can, and should, choose how intelligent they become.

• Siblings raised in different homes with different guardians will develop different IQs.

Based on the passage below, the Point author most likely believes that...

"So even though people may say, “Oh, IQ tests are not valid because people have different intelligences and are good at different things,” it seems clear that even if you believe that you are visually intelligent and do best on non-verbal tests, the odds are good that if you do well on those, you will also succeed on other forms of tests. If you take one of the many standard IQ tests, you will find that it includes a variety of types of tests whose scores are put together to make up your IQ score. So not only are you given a test that examines multiple intelligences, but you are also given a test whose various components correlate well."

• IQ test results are not an accurate reflection of one’s intelligence.

• Visual intelligence is more common than verbal intelligence.

• IQ tests are easily cheated if you know what to look for.

• IQ tests are a perfectly valid measure of intelligence.

Which of the following selections best states a central idea of the Point essay?

• . Intelligence is inherited in one’s genetic makeup, and is only slightly affected by one’s environment.

• Intelligence is entirely determined by the intelligence of one’s parents.

• Intelligence is determined primarily by how much money one’s family has, and secondarily by how many books are in one’s house during formative years.

• Because intelligence is fixed at birth, it is dangerous to try to hold unintelligent people to a high standard, as it will discourage them.

Which of the following selections best states the central idea of the Counterpoint essay?

• Children from wealthy families have a better chance of fulfilling their intellectual potential because they are given advantages over their poor counterparts.

• Video games are good practice for solving puzzles on an IQ test.

• When your friends or family members have self-defeating attitudes about their own intelligence, it is important to console them.

• Intelligence is affected primarily by one’s environment, rather than being determined solely by genetics.

What does the author of the Point essay think about intelligence tests? How does the author use IQ testing to support his or her argument? Give details.

Briefly explain the Flynn effect, and how it reinforces the Counterpoint essay’s notion that our intelligence is drastically affected by our environment.

In the Counterpoint essay, the author argues that there is an element of danger in the belief that one’s intelligence is fixed at birth. What is this danger, and how would it be avoided by adopting the author’s viewpoint in the essay? Explain.