Herrnstein and Murray sparked great controversy in their book, The Bell Curve, by arguing that: a. present economic inequalities between racial and ethnic groups will disappear altogether as discriminatory barriers are destroyed b. investing more tax dollars in childhood socialization programs, such as Head Start, is absolutely necessary to facilitate the upward mobility of African Americans in the U.S. c. racial and ethnic minorities tend to be concentrated in the lower reaches of the class structure because of low intelligence d. differences between racial groups on various indicators, including I.Q., are neither substantial nor significant
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is:
c. racial and ethnic minorities tend to be concentrated in the lower reaches of the class structure because of low intelligence.
Explanation:
In The Bell Curve, authors Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray argued that intelligence, primarily measured through IQ tests, is a significant predictor of an individual’s success in life, including their position within the social class structure. They claimed that IQ differences were not only present between individuals but also between different racial and ethnic groups. According to their argument, these IQ differences contributed to the socioeconomic disparities observed between groups, particularly between African Americans and whites.
Herrnstein and Murray suggested that people from certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, notably African Americans, tended to score lower on IQ tests compared to their white counterparts. This, according to them, contributed to the concentration of these groups in the lower socioeconomic strata, as lower intelligence supposedly led to lower educational and career achievements. Their argument implied that the intelligence gap was, at least in part, a cause of persistent economic inequality.
The publication of The Bell Curve sparked widespread controversy because it appeared to support the notion that racial differences in intelligence were genetic in origin and that social policies aimed at reducing inequalities (such as affirmative action or social programs) might be ineffective in the long term. Critics of the book argue that its conclusions are flawed, pointing out that IQ tests themselves can be culturally biased and that the concept of intelligence is much more complex than a single measure can capture. Furthermore, they emphasized that social and historical factors—such as systemic racism and unequal access to resources—play a significant role in shaping educational and economic outcomes, rather than genetic differences in intelligence.
The book was heavily criticized for perpetuating racial stereotypes and for its deterministic view of intelligence, with many scholars questioning the validity of its claims.