Symbolism, Setting, and Objects from The Mismeasure of Man

Object Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major objects in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Objects

Biological Determinism - This is the belief that intelligence can be accounted for by biology and that a particular group's fate is determined by biology.

Ancient Greece - The book opens with a scene from this place, with Plato giving his opinion about the nature-nurture question.

Sweden - This country is the home of Gunnar Mrydal and the place where his studies took place. Mrydal was active in the biological determinism movement in the 1940's.

Harvard University - This school is where Louis Agassiz taught. Agassiz was the leading theorist of the...
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