You Don't Have To Be A Rocket Scientist To Pass An Iq Quiz

Q. Can you really tell anything about someone'sany age.
intelligence by having them take an IQ quiz?So, what (if anything) can be deduced about a
A. The answer to this question requires a bit ofperson based upon the results of an IQ quiz?
background information, so let me put myAccording to an article "The General Intelligence
professor hat on and tell you a story.Factor", Scientific American Presents "Exploring
An IQ quiz measures a person's IntelligenceIntelligence", pg. 24, 1999, author Linda
Quotient (IQ). IQ is calculated using this formula:Gottfredson writes:
IQ = 100 MA/CA where MA = Mental Age and"Adults in the bottom 5% of the IQ distribution
CA = Chronological Age.(below 75) are very difficult to train and are not
The IQ test was originated back in 1905 bycompetitive for any occupation on the basis of
French psychologist Alfred Binet and his physicianability. Serious problems in training low-IQ military
research partner Dr. Theodore Simon. These tworecruits during World War II led Congress to ban
guys came up with the "Binet Simon Test". Thisenlistment from the lowest 10% (below 80) of
test's purpose was to measure the intelligence ofthe population, and no civilian occupation in modern
retarded children.economies routinely recruits its workers from
The test was based upon several observations:that below-80 range."
1. Children grow more mentally capable as they"Current military enlistment standards exclude any
grow olderindividual whose IQ is below about 85." "Persons
2. Some children perform at higher grade and ageof average IQ (between 90 and 100) are not
levels than their actual grade and age level. Whilecompetitive for most professional and
other children are just the opposite.executive-level work but are easily trained for the
The mental age (MA) portion of the formula isbulk of jobs in the American economy. By
the age level that the child is found to perform at.contrast, individuals in the top 5 percent of the
For example, a 6-year-old who performed at theadult population can essentially train themselves,
level of an 8-year-old, is assigned a MA of 8 and,and few occupations are beyond their reach
of course, a CA of 6. Conversely, an 8-year-old,mentally." "People with IQs between 75 and 90
who performed at the level of a 6-year-old, isare 88 times more likely to drop out of high
given a CA of 8 and a MA of 6. With me so far?school, seven times more likely to be jailed, and
If you are then you've already passed my IQfive times more likely as adults to live in poverty
test because I'm starting to get confused and I'mthan people with IQs between 110 and 125. The
the one who is writing this article!75-to-90 IQ woman is eight times more likely to
3. Binet and Simpson also discovered that thesebecome a chronic welfare recipient, and four
gaps between MA and CA grew wider as thetimes as likely to bear an illegitimate child than the
children aged. Our child who had a MA of 8 when110-to-125-IQ woman."
he was 6, was found to have a MA of 12 by theWow, those are some pretty dramatic
time that he reached age 8. Conversely, the childconclusions that are based solely upon IQ as
who had a MA of 6 when he was 9, had a MA ofdetermined by an IQ quiz. If you believe what Ms.
8 when he reached 12.Gottfredson writes, then the answer to your
4. They also noticed that although the MA/CAquestion of "Can you really tell anything about
gap widened as the children grew older, the ratiosomeone's intelligence by having them take an IQ
of MA:CA remained constant. This constant ratioquiz?" is: It would appear so. Like any quiz,
was called the "Intelligence Quotient".however, don't feel too bad if you "fail" an IQ
The IQ quiz, or IQ test, was developed as a wayQuiz. Some people just suck at taking tests!
of determining the MA:CA ratio of any person at