The Bell Curve by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray generated an enormous amount of controversy when it first came out, largely because it suggested that racial differences in IQ scores were due to genetically driven differences in intelligence and argued that "both genes and the environment have something to do with racial differences." For those who disagreed, this seemed like a very familiar argument, because:
A) racism usually is reducible to a group's cultural characteristics.
B) this is the same argument that was made by the founding fathers to justify the relatively equal treatment of both Native Americans and involuntary African immigrants.
C) as always, it leaves education policy at the center of a racial controversy.
D) racist beliefs are often rooted in the assumption that differences between groups are biologically based.
E) IQ tests were always used to justify racism.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The idea that differences between racial groups are genetically determined is a common feature of racists beliefs throughout history. This belief is often used to justify unequal treatment and discrimination. The argument made in The Bell Curve perpetuates this harmful ideology by suggesting that IQ scores and intelligence are predetermined by genetics.